Crash Bandicoot 4: Wrath of the Enemy
by Bandi-cute
Summary: It seems Dr. Cortex and Uka are not ready to call it quits. With the vicious powers of the Elementals, Crunch is the key to destroying Crash Bandicoot. To retaliate to this inconsiderate threat Crash embarks on a mission to defeat them.
1. Prologue: A Weapon of Carnage

**Crash Bandicoot 4:**

**_Wrath of the Enemy_**

**Prologue: A Weapon of Carnage**

Cortex wrung his hands, his nervous condition worsening at every turn. He had a failure list that trailed farther than his arm, and he was unsure that Uka would spare him from his punishment this time. He paced, feeling thoroughly defeated and dejected. N. Gin, a few steps away, watched the doctor with wary eyes. Cortex didn't even acknowledge his existence as he marched past him. Concealed in the shadows now, Cortex paused, and stood still for one moment. A second later, Cortex smashed his fist on a nearby machine, motionless as the metallic clang echoed throughout the chamber. N. Gin shrunk away as he heard a horrible noise that may have been laughter rattle from the aging doctor.

"Doctor Cortex, are you alright?"

Cortex ignored his question for the moment, and began to march again. Now any onlooker would believe the good doctor to have finally descended into insanity, just as his colleague did, and yet this was not the case. Cortex was just as sane as he had been when he first created the creature that haunted every waking moment. The monstrosity that should be so easy to destroy and yet at the same time was impossible to kill. Cortex inhaled deeply, expanding his lungs so it felt as though his ribs would crumble. Cortex tilted his head. His misfortune was about to change. Cortex straightened his immaculate white coat, and then turned toward N. Gin.

"In which cycle is the abomination?"

N. Gin hesitated for a moment, as if unable to compute his question. And indeed it was probable that he couldn't. Cortex never knew what was whirring within those darting gyros, but N. Gin still seemed competent enough, and us such, remained useful. N. Gin recovered from his spell.

"I believe, Doctor, he is still in the process of succumbing to the serum. It seems he is resiliently rejecting the mind influencing concoction, which is quite staggering really."

Cortex chuckled low in his throat.

"Of course he is rejecting it you nearsighted twit. He was created to be a true warrior that obeys its master. If he had absolved his struggle directly I would know he was not fit for this position."

N. Gin looked quite exhausted, and although half of his face was cased in a metal overlay, his human eye appeared regretful. Cortex snorted. Why did it seem that all his fellow scientists were squeamish cowards? Of course Cortex's latest creation had not had the easiest existence, yet on Cortex's part there were no regrets. As long as his new experiment proved itself when the time came.

"Doctor, may I remind you that this creature is atrociously dangerous. I fear that if he does succumb to the serum, when released he may retain the memory of you and what you…"

Cortex grinned. Yes, the creature hated him, that much was clear. Yet it didn't matter if he despised Cortex or not, he would still obey his commands.

"Do not bother wasting your breath. I am already aware of this, and I have no fear that once his mind has been twisted, he'll have no choice but to obey me. This you can count on."

N. Gin bowed his head. "As you say, Doctor."

Cortex wandered over to the window of his new and improved space station, and ran his fingers down the glass carefully. Once the creature's loyalty was secured, Cortex would have a plan to lie before Uka Uka, and perhaps then the menacing mask would forget the repercussions he swore to lay on Cortex. Cortex shuttered slightly, but masked it from N. Gin as he dropped his shoulders.

"Ironic, isn't it, that although I despise bandicoots with a passion, that my newest weapon has proved to be the strongest my experiments, and is in fact the same species."

Cortex smiled crookedly. _To a degree._

"What do you wish me to do with the bandicoot, Doctor?"

Cortex stroked his beard, not out of thoughtfulness, but it was a gesture he habited when he was growing impatient.

"When you come back into this chamber, I want that animal's obedience in my complete control. Do you understand me?"

N. Gin muttered an affirmative and scurried out of the room. Cortex exhaled carefully through his mouth, closing his eyes for a fraction to calm his rising tension. The final piece of the plan was almost locked in place, which was quite desirable. Apparently it had been a better idea to conceal the creation, keeping it a source of vital leverage against the powerful spirit. Suddenly, an infuriated roar rumbled through the lab, and Cortex felt himself wince. Progress on taming the beast was slow, but the results of the tests were pleasing. Nothing could stop him once the animal was under his control. Cortex dropped the hand he realized was still resting on the window. He glared down at the planet with a heated vengeance, and his mouth twisted back into what could have been a grin but was far too menacing to ever be so.

"Enjoy your last days of freedom Bandicoot. It will not last, I promise you that."


	2. Chapter 1: The Calm before the Storm

**Chapter One- The Ca****lm before the Storm**

"Help! I'm drowning!"

Coco groaned as she reached into the water to pull her brother out of the lagoon. He crawled onto land sputtering and gasping dramatically. Coco shook her head.

"You know, swimming is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. But with you I just don't understand. You've got all the movements right, but you just can't stay up."

"The reason I can't stay up," Crash explained as he dumped water from his shoe. "Is because it's easier to float."

"But every time you try and float you end up sinking, you dope." Coco snarled, exasperated.

Crash shrugged, and shook the clinging drops of water off his orange coat. "I say we just forget this particular area of improvement. I can't be good at everything you know."

Coco clapped her hand to her forehead. "We live on an island surrounded by WATER! There is a good chance you'll eventually find yourself in the middle of it, and you need to be prepared."

Crash yawned. "I'll just do what I did before. Relax and let the water carry me to shore."

"That was a fluke Crash."

"Regardless, I like that method the best, so I'll stick to it." Crash wasn't in the mood to slosh around in wet shoes, so he carried them as he started off toward the jungle. "See you at the house Sis."

Coco watched her brother depart, and sighed heavily. She sat there for a while, propped on an arm, when she sensed movement from the trees. Walking gracefully into the clearing, a beautiful ginger furred tiger appeared, amber eyes shining. Coco offered an encouraging smile as she opened her arms.

"Hey Pura, I was wondering where you got off too."

Pura's eyes brightened and he trotted toward her, and pounced on her at the last instant. Coco laughed as she stroked his silky mane, and in return, the tiger licked her face happily.

"You'll go swimming with me, won't you? All Crash ever does is sleep."

Pura licked her again, so Coco took this as an affirmative. She hooked her finger around the tie holding back her hair, and let the golden tresses come tumbling down her shoulders. She shrug out of her overalls, where a loose fitting shirt and shorts were waiting to be put into use. Pura wasted no time, leaping into the water with a splash that showered Coco with refreshing pattering drops. A moment later Coco followed, diving gracefully into the crystal depths.

--

Crash drug his feet as he walked back to the house, yawning monstrously on the way. He had been feeling quite sluggish lately, which was probably due to all the physical endurances Crash had to go through lately. Yet it had been a while since then, and Crash couldn't understand why he was having so much trouble bouncing back.

_Maybe I should do something active. Then I might find the strength to laze about like normal._

Crash dropped his shoulders, and he saw that his vision was starting to mirror itself. Crash yawned again, and flopped down under a shady tree. Coco would doubtlessly see him on her way back, and like a good sister would be obliged to help her poor unconscious brother back home.

Crash fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

--

Cortex tried not to avert his eyes from the terrifying mask as he hovered into the meeting chamber. Those in attendance were N. Gin, Dr. Tropy, and Cortex himself. Silence hung heavy over the group for a few nervous seconds, but soon the great mask Uka Uka growled low.

"This embarrassing situation does not please me. If I were to give into my first reaction of how to deal with this incompetence, the three of you would be dead." There was a slight shifting from N. Gin, but Tropy didn't move a muscle. "However, to take my revenge on my brother I need subordinates to do my bidding. Despite that you underlings are failures in every respect does not help my mood, but the selection is scarce I'm afraid."

Cortex had been silent long enough. "Great Uka Uka, I implore you to agree that it is not our fault. That wretched bandicoot is to blame for this."

Uka's eyes turned dangerous, and Cortex's mouth snapped shut and his frustration evaporated. There was only silence for three painful seconds, but finally Uka spoke.

"Excuses. No brainless marsupial should ever get the best of three of earth's most adept minds. Yet I must admit that this creature has been a pain in my side long enough. Our next plan of action will be to destroy Crash Bandicoot, once and for all. This is our only mission, and it will remain in affect until the bandicoot is dead."

Cortex laid his hands in his lap, hopelessly angered not only by Uka's threats, but by the fact that his newest creation was failing. The bandicoot Cortex was attempting to mind-alter was amazingly defiant, and no matter what Cortex did the beast would not succumb. Cortex had been prepared to offer this new weapon to Uka, protecting him however shortly from his wrath. Yet with the experiment still undecided, Cortex couldn't possibly hope to use it for amnesty. He kept his mouth closed.

"I demand that the three of you concoct a plan, one that will NOT fail. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Tropy stroked his chin delicately, as though he was deciding on a flavor of tea instead of a plan to preserve his and his colleagues' lives.

"There must be something we can come up with…" Tropy mused, and a moment later tilted his head toward Cortex. "That reminds me, Doctor, haven't you been tinkering with some new experiment in your laboratory?"

Cortex felt his spine stiffen. Of course if anyone was going to betray his secret plan it would be Tropy. Cortex shrugged off the accusation and glared at the scientist.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about Tropy."

Uka Uka was glowing down upon them, and obviously this made the tension in the room very high. N. Gin couldn't take it anymore.

"Dr. Cortex, maybe you should announce your plans for the future. After all the experiment is almost complete."

Cortex glared at N. Gin, and silenced him with a look. Cortex swallowed hard as he noticed Uka Uka was staring at him quite dangerously.

"If you have already decided on a course of action, Cortex, I suggest you share it with us."

It was not a request. Cortex could tell by his malevolent tone. Cortex inhaled slowly and began.

"Well, the last time the bandicoot evaded destruction, I created a genetically advanced super-weapon of unbelievable strength. It is essentially everything that failure of a creature is not. This had been my plan years ago, but the experiment failed, as they often do, and-"

"And we are left with an extremely fortunate creature that cannot be killed. We buried under the weight of you failures Cortex, come to the point quickly."

"Yes Great One. I have evolved a weapon that will, when properly utilized, destroy anything and anyone it its way. I refrained from releasing the progress publicly because the experiment is still inconclusive. The subject rejects the mind altering technique we are using. I simply need a way to overwhelm its defiance and lock the controlling device in place. This is the only missing element in my plan."

Silence prevailed again as Uka's fiery gaze defocused, and he appeared to be thinking. Cortex took a slow, silent inhale so as not to disturb the quietness, and waited.

"Element…yes, the Elementals. It is a wonder I had not thought of that sooner."

Cortex was not really feeling brave enough to venture a question, but he didn't see any harm in asking.

"If I may Great One, what are the Elementals?"

Uka looked at Cortex as if he had mysteriously sprouted a horn from his head. He glowed brighter as if in frustration, but calmed right down, much to Cortex's relief.

"I had forgotten the three of you inept cretins have probably never heard of the ancient tribal histories. I will elaborate briefly for your benefit. A millennia ago, the earth was ruled over by a throng of ancient spirits, preserving the balance of life and guarding the inhabitance. Over the years, four spirits that controlled earth's most powerful elements became uninterested in obeying the ancient laws, knowing they had the strength to oppose the tribal elders. They separated, and used their powers to terrorize the earth. The perpetrators were the controllers of water, fire, earth and wind. They were the causes of monumental floods, eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, terrorizing the world at every turn. It was only when a certain spirit rallied the opposing powers together that the Elementals were sealed in dormancy.

"Centuries have passed since then, and I can personally guarantee they will want revenge on their captor, just as I did."

Uka paused for a moment, and angry and evil grin spreading across his face. Cortex could guess who the defeater was, but he wasn't about to bring it up.

"Would these spirits agree to our plan if they are released?" Tropy voiced, with a vague lilt of impatience in his tone.

Uka either didn't pick up on it, or wasn't concerned. "They are unstable, wild exiles, and will obey no one. Yet they cannot break free from their prison unless a spirit of the same caliber and rank as their captor releases them. I am confident I can make an arrangement."

Cortex was beginning to grow excited. Finally, he would have the means to wipe Crash Bandicoot's existence off the face of the earth forever. His revenge would finally be complete. Cortex kept the twisted smile on his face.

"Great Uka Uka. I will ready the experiment for the Elementals. As soon as Crash Bandicoot is destroyed, the world will be ours for the taking."

Uka looked at him with a condescending look, but nodded slowly.

"In this, I have no doubt Cortex. Ready your experiment. The Elementals' prison is in a difficult illusion shrouded in magic. I will break it, but I'll be absent for a short while. Make sure everything is in preparation. We can waste no time."

Cortex bowed his head. "As you wish, Great One."


	3. Chapter 2: A Power Unhinged

**Chapter Two- A Power Unhinged**

Crash had given into his sister's constant urging, and decided to learn how to water-ski. It was not a practice he was particularly interested in, but Coco had been so excited when she fixed her old skidoo, that Crash could hardly refuse. He squinted as flecks of water sprayed in his face, and looked up at the bright sky to escape the blinding splashes. It was a beautiful day, yet that wasn't too much of a surprise. On their substantial yet quaint island, warm sunny days were hardly out of the ordinary. That was probably why Crash enjoyed it there so much. Yet as he kept his fingers locked around the line, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous.

_Okay, don't worry Crash, you'll be fine…unless a big shark decides to take a bite out of you._

Crash flinched at this thought, and needed to twist to avoid plunging into the ocean water. Water which he was unable to swim in, he remembered. Regardless, he gained his balance once again, and continued to hold on as tight as possible. Coco turned around and offered a hearty laugh.

"Hey, you're doing great big brother!"

Crash grimaced as he nearly wiped out for the fifteenth time.

"How about you keep your eyes on where you're going."

Coco smiled wickedly, and flipped around in the saddle, leaning back and having a grand old time torturing her irritated brother.

"You think I'll crash into anything in the middle of the ocean?" She called smugly.

"Knowing you and your driving skills, I wouldn't be surprised if I winded up in a tree."

Coco fixed him with a confused look, as though she was figuring out his meaning. Then her brows angled in annoyance. She was about to say something else, but a deafening thunderclap drowned out her words. Crash winced at the magnitude of the explosion in the sky, and glanced up with a frown. Dark clouds were obscuring the sun, and a wind began to blow increasingly hard. Crash planted his feet and kept his hands latched around the rope. Coco had noticed the strange change in the weather too, and spun around to take control of the water vehicle.

"What the…?" Crash didn't have a chance to continue.

Crash angled his eyes and glanced toward the island. Vaguely, he could just make out a cloud of smoke trailing up from one of the mountains. Well, at least, Crash had always thought it was a mountain. He guessed now that it was a volcano.

Coco's head was in constant movement, as she scanned about her in confusion. "What's going on?"

Crash was too busy hanging on for dear life to offer his opinion. Coco looked over her shoulder, her big eyes wide with nervousness. She had her eye on something behind him, and her jaw dropped.

"Oh no, Crash, look out!"

Crash flipped his head around to get a glimpse of what she was warning him about, and swallowed hard when he saw it.

_Now how am I supposed to watch out for _that?

A massive tidal wave was charging toward them, getting bigger and wider by the second. Crash clenched his jaw and turned back toward Coco.

"Step on it!"

Coco complied, running her skidoo as fast as it was able. Crash held on tightly, and turned around again to see how fast the wave was moving. He gulped. It was pretty fast. He knew now they would never make it to land, at least, not in the way they intended. Crash prepared to hold his breath as he shouted to Coco.

"Brace yourself Sis, we're not gonna make it."

Crash didn't notice if Coco heard him or not. He felt the wave crash over him, and suddenly he was thrown into a whirling, disorienting vortex of water. He couldn't hold on to the rope, and it snapped from his grasp and disappeared into the blackness. Crash flailed there, eyes open and in frantic search for Coco. He couldn't see her anywhere, but he wasn't too worried. At least she was a better swimmer than he was. Crash remained stationary in the water, not kicking or attempting to swim, but instead letting the wave do all the work. It didn't take long for the water to carry him back to shore, and Crash soon found himself thrown roughly onto the sandy beach. He lay there on his stomach, wet, sore and miserable with a face full of sand. Immediately he felt someone at his side. Coco raked her wet hair out of her wide green eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Crash rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes. "No, I'm dead."

Coco stood up with a sigh, but he could tell that it was out of relief. "I'll go find a wild monkey to give you a nice dose of artificial respiration."

Crash grimaced at the thought, and then struggled to a sitting position.

"I'm I crazy to ask…what the heck just happened?"

Coco offered barely a shrug as she shoved her hands in her pockets. Crash was wondering if the supernatural occurrences were bumming Coco out, but he could see what she was really upset about and he smiled apologetically.

"It'll still work."

Coco's skidoo had piled into a tree, and didn't particularly look very good in its crumpled position. Coco's shoulders dropped.

"I just fixed the stupid thing."

Crash remained sitting, and stretched a knot that appeared in his shoulder. "Just for the record, I don't think you'd be able to use it right now even if it was working."

Finally, Aku Aku sped from through the trees. His gold eyes were bright with apprehension, as usual, and he was moving so fast he nearly barreled into Coco.

"Have you-"

"Seen a volcano erupting, feel a seismic charge shake the earth, almost drown in the result of a colossal tidal wave? Yes Aku, on all those accounts."

Crash shook his head. Coco was very peevish when things didn't go her way, and although the problems on the island were of a quite serious scale, she still hadn't bothered to hide her bitterness. Aku then seemed to notice that the two of them were soaking wet. He raised his brows in concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Alive." Crash confirmed as he pulled off his shoe and let the water run out. "But I can't give you more than that."

Aku appeared to be pondering, but didn't speak for a few moments. Coco squeezed the water out of her hair and Crash shook off his fur during the interlude, but Crash could already guess that something pretty serious was going on. As usual. Aku finally broke from his spell and focused on the bandicoots.

"This is Uka Uka's handiwork."

Crash felt like groaning, but didn't make a sound. _Figure that out on your own, did'ja?_

"Well, if that psychotic mask is stirring up trouble now, that means Cortex is probably stirring along with him." This statement was from Coco, whose tone had not yet descended into worry.

There was no need for either of them to question Uka and Cortex's escape from the time warp. It wasn't a surprise. Evil wasn't an easy thing to get rid of. Crash was about to speak, but lost his words as he noticed the sun had returned. He took a farther lay of the land, and notice nothing else unusual was happening. The ocean had settled, and the choppy waves became still once again. Crash scratched his ear.

"Hmm, that's pretty weird."

"What could possibly be affecting the climate so dramatically?" Coco thought hard but didn't come to a conclusion.

Crash really hadn't even the slightest idea how whatever was happening was…happening. So, as usual, he waited for someone smarter to come up with the answers. He turned toward Aku, mouth open to relay something witty, but he stopped cold when he saw Aku's expression. The old mask's golden eyes were wide, and he was staring blankly at the calm ocean. Crash was about to question him when the mask jolted back to reality and focused his attention on the two bandicoots before him.

"I…something is definitely not right here." Aku's voice was nervous.

"Thanks for the clarification Professor." Crash's tone was light and sarcastic.

Coco elbowed Crash hard in the side and shot him a warning glance. Then she turned her attention to Aku.

"We could kinda gather that for ourselves Aku. Do you know what's happening?"

Aku seemed to zone out again, and as Crash and Coco exchanged glances the old mask roused himself from his blank stare. It looked as though he kept falling asleep with his eyes open, but that was probably not the case. Aku fixed both of them with a stern look.

"Get back to the house. Both of you. I will meet you there later."

With that final statement, Aku disappeared. Crash let out an exasperated breath and glanced down at his sister. Coco flipped her blond hair behind her shoulder.

"This sounds like another doomsday prevention escapade to me."

Crash ruffled her hair before turning and sauntering down the path. "Get used to it Sis, there's no rest for a partially evolved bandicoot."


	4. Chapter 3: Threat

**Chapter Three- Threat**

Aku Aku enshrouded himself in the paranormal veil of subtle island temple magic, and closed his eyes. He couldn't be sure if Uka would answer the call, but this was his only option. It was probable that Uka desired to flaunt his new take-over tactic and Aku desperately hoped against his strong suspicion. Aku's mind drifted into a subconscious plane, a place of neutral ground for any island spirits. When Aku appeared into the conjured surrounding, he was only half-surprised to see that Uka Uka was already there. The mask lifted his twisted mouth into a cruel smile.

"Greetings, my feeble brother."

Aku narrowed his gaze for a moment, and then straightened with an air of dignity. "I assume the sudden attack on the surface was your doing?"

Uka Uka thundered a laugh. "Not only me brother, the credit for that dose of unequivocal power belongs to another."

Aku Aku gaped in shock and despite his suspicions he was not ready for their swift appearance. Appearing simultaneously with ravage expressions on their faces, the Elementals fixed their bottled hatred on the figure before them. Uka smiled.

"Four others, actually."

Aku was bewildered. "This scheme you have invented will not succeed Uka. You cannot possibly control them; don't you remember the last time they were free?"

Uka grinned fiendishly. "You worry too much brother. I have already fulfilled my part of the deal. In return for their freedom I have been assured one thing."

Aku waited for the remainder of his speech but surprisingly it was Py-Ro, the Elemental of Fire, who spoke next.

"We have agreed that in return for setting us free, we will destroy the bandicoots that have been so much trouble."

Aku exhaled sharply as Py-Ro continued.

"Then we'll ravage the world a little before handing it back to Uka Uka. It is really a very simple plan."

Aku glowered at the group before him. "Have none of you remembered the reason you were imprisoned in the first place, all those years ago? It was your lust for power that tore your ancient powers apart. They will not be so easily recovered."

"We have certainly considered that, my friend." The next speaker was Lo-Lo, the Elemental of Air. "Uka's minion Dr. Cortex has apparently created a creature of unfathomable physical strength to collect the shards of our power. Yet you must know that even without the shattered fragments of our magic that we are still capable of wreaking havoc."

"Yet you will not have the power to obliterate the world, and without those pieces little will stop the temple spirits from imprisoning you again."

"You mean little will stop _you_, don't you?" This from Rok-ko, the Elemental of Rock. "You were the guy who locked us away in the first place."

"We will retain our powers Aku Aku, and then we will destroy this pitiful planet you care so much about." Py-Ro spoke again, showing the first signs of anger.

"But first, before you throw the earth into complete disarray, you must remember my first request?" Uka asked Py-ro.

"Ah yes, I admit I had almost forgotten." Py-ro's yellow eyes flashed. "Destroy him."

A gigantic burst of ancient power gathered energy and blasted toward Aku. The latter dodged the attack easily, knowing that if he had been hit in this subconscious dimension only his mind would be damaged, but that knowledge was enough not to be struck. Aku glared at the five demon masks dangerously.

"You will NOT get away with this." Aku warned.

Uka Uka laughed heartily again, already sure of his victory. "Who's going to stop us?"

--

Crash was pressed up against the wall, his chin against his chest and his knees bunched. It wasn't an ideal way to sleep, but Coco had warned him that if he so much as rested his eyes she'd give him a beating. So Crash fought to stay awake, holding onto his consciousness by absently bouncing a ball against the wall and catching it as it bounded back. Coco was clicking with gathering speed on her computer. Crash grimaced.

"Don't your fingers get tired?"

Coco spoke without considering the question. "You get used to it."

"You know, there's a good chance that if you work your fingers too hard they could fall off."

Coco didn't even look up. "No they can't, you bonehead."

Crash continued to bounce the ball. "Well, maybe it's never happened before because nobody's ever gone fast enough."

Finally Coco stopped and fixed her brother with an exasperated look. "Are you bored Crash?"

"What do you think?"

It had been a good hour since Aku's departure, and Crash was getting antsy. He had already played the picture of what was about to happen in his mind. Aku would dash into the room to tell them it was all a misunderstanding, and that Uka Uka and Cortex didn't want any trouble. Everyone just wanted to live in harmony, and Crash would be free to eat and sleep as he pleased. Unfortunately, things usually never turned out that way, at least not for Crash Bandicoot.

Aku dashed into the room, a concealed look on his face which meant quite clearly that he was worried. Crash remained in a bunched heap at the side of the room.

"What's up Pops? Might as well get it over with now, while I'm still conscious."

"We have yet another problem on our hands children. Uka Uka has threatened the prosperity of this world. He has recruited Dr. Cortex again, and he is planning to destroy the world using a group of destructive masks known as the Elementals."

Crash got himself into a more comfortable position. "More masks? And they're evil too? Wow Gramps, you seem to be the only sane mask in this world."

"So how are we supposed to get rid of these masks Aku?" Coco asked as she got to her feet. "What will it take to imprison them again?"

Crash lay on his back with his hands propped under his head. "Teacher's pet."

Coco turned a glowering gaze to her lazing brother. "It helps to be a little proactive Crash. Or in your case, a little awake."

"Don't worry, my eyes are open."

"You've been known to fall asleep without shutting your eyes Crash." Coco turned her attention back to Aku, and the latter looked fairly exasperated. "How do we do it Aku?"

"The only way to return them to their dormant state is by summoning the use of ancient crystals. These elemental shards are fragments of their power, and can be used to lock them into a hibernation state.

"These crystals are located throughout the earth, and were hidden in the most treacherous places to ensure that the shards could never be returned if the Elementals were ever set free."

"So let me get this straight." Crash spoke up nonchalantly. "These crystal things are the only forces that can imprison the - what were they again…Elementals? - whatever, and they're scattered all over the world? Now we're going to have to bounce around all over the place to collect them?" Crash snorted. "This proactive stuff is turning out to be a pain in the butt."

"There are four elemental masks." Aku continued without falter. "Therefore there are four places the shards are hidden. Yet they shouldn't be that difficult to find with Coco's help."

Crash glanced at his sister curiously, and she appeared a little confused.

"What are you talking about Aku? What can I do?"

"What you have already done. What is the status on your creation of the artificial reality portal chamber?"

"You mean that hunk of junk in the backyard?" Crash asked.

"It's almost finished." Coco said, ignoring her brother. "It just needs a few little adjustments. I don't really see how you expect on using it for this mission though. It was just supposed to be a high tech videogame."

"Is that what that was?"

"Would you put a sock in it Crash? Anyway, it won't be able to transport anyone anywhere."

Aku didn't look disappointed, in fact, he didn't look fazed in the slightest. "How long do you need to incorporate a transportation system?"

Coco opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again. She was obviously pondering. "Probably five minutes. The recalibration process really isn't that difficult. The only thing is I don't know whether it would work or not."

"And this gives us an opportunity to test it."

"Wait a minute." Crash bounced to his feet. "I don't like the sound of that. If you think I'm stepping into a whirly warp hole created by my kid sister you've got another thing coming."

Coco marched past Crash, heading for the door. "Well, I'm glad your so confident in me big brother."

Crash stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed grudgingly. "You were the one that said you didn't know if it'd work or not."

"Don't worry Crash. I promise I won't let you walk into anything that'll blow you up."

"That'd be nice."

Crash and Aku followed Coco's determined walk toward the back of the house. Adjacent to their home was a small shop Coco had set up for her experiments, but it looked far too small to contain anything more than an old car. Coco quickly typed a code on the keypad (making sure to block it from her brother's sight, much to his chagrin) and the door moaned as it slowly opened. Coco squeezed through the opening, but Crash and Aku remained a little wary, taking their time before entering the thrumming chamber. When Crash finally wandered in, he felt his jaw drop in surprise.

"Holy crap."

The shop was far larger than he had first thought, and he realized now that most of it was situated underground. The little shack above was just a cover for the amazing laboratory contained beneath it. Crash had his hands on his hips and an approving smile on his face as he admired the place.

"Wow Sis, this is some neat shed you've got here."

Coco was already busy typing away on her laptop, which she had plugged in to the larger computer's mainframe while Crash was in motionless awe. He was appalled, as always, that her fingers were able to move so quickly and just watching her rapid hands was giving him a headache. A few minutes later, Coco made one last click to her computer and then about-faced.

"There. All systems are operational."

Aku floated forward. "Well done Coco. All we must do now is position the transporter where we need Crash to go."

"Wait a minute!" Both Crash and Coco spoke simultaneously.

"Didn't you hear me back in the house old fella? I don't wanna go." Crash whined.

"What do you mean where we need _Crash_ to go? I can get those shards just as easily as he can, and I'll be quicker." Coco's tone was frustrated.

"Coco, I am sorry and I regret that you must remain. But we need to make sure that Crash has a quick exit out of each destination. I fear the shards may be quite difficult and dangerous to locate."

"Which brings me to my intervention," Crash interrupted. "I don't wanna go."

"Stop being selfish!" Coco whirled on her brother. "If I have to stay here you're sure as hell going!"

"You shouldn't curse Coco; you're not very good at it." Crash scolded pleasantly.

"Don't curse Coco." Aku said in a stern, fatherly tone.

"He always does and you never yell at him!" Coco's anger was obviously rooted from her desire to save the world, so Crash didn't bait her again.

"Fine. I'll go and save us from certain doom yet again. Now how do you turn this stupid thing on?"

Although Crash's tone was full of annoyance, the collected look in his face betrayed his excitement. He would much rather nap under a tree to be sure, but he also admitted there was a strange sort of rush when one was rescuing earth and its inhabitance. He saved the world three times already, with some help of course, and no one even knew his name. Which was one of the perks he intended to keep. Coco grinned somewhat reluctantly and smacked her brother on the back playfully.

"Welcome back big brother."


	5. Chapter 4: A New Enemy

_**Author's Note:** To those of you fine people who have made it this far in my series, I thank you very much. Also, thanks to those who informed me that I posted Chapter 3 twice (what a dope^^) I never would have noticed if I hadn't been told, so much thanks! Pardon the interruption, and on with the story!_

**Chapter Four- Familiar Interruption and a New Enemy**

Just as Coco was about to explain how the contraption she invented worked, a beeping noise demanded attention. She turned, and without a word she strode to her open laptop, reading where the signal was coming from.

"What is it Coco?" Aku asked with only a hint of tension.

Coco slowly turned her head around, her face emotionless. "There's an incoming transmission."

There was a moment of silence; everyone seemed to have a suspicion of who the caller was. Crash flipped his hand imperturbably.

"Well what are you waiting for Sis? It's probably just the pizza guy, so get rid of those solemn faces and answer it."

Coco looked to Aku for conformation and then clicked her jaw hesitantly. Then she tapped the activation on her laptop and the large screen before them fizzled to life. When the image cleared, only one being was standing in the center. The man had an impossibly large head, a skinny body and an ugly face all too familiar. Crash snapped his fingers dejectedly.

"Well, I guess it was a long shot." Crash mumbled as Coco gave him a glance. When he caught her gaze he grinned. "Ten bucks his opening line will be 'Well, if it isn't Crash Bandicoot'."

When the transmission was fully connected, Cortex grinned fiendishly. "Well, well, if it isn't Crash Bandicoot."

Crash shot a smirk to his sister, which she returned in kind. Then she mouthed,

"There was an extra '_well'_ there big brother; I'll take that ten in cash."

Crash groaned in frustration as he realized she was right, but Cortex seemed to think that Crash's dismay was rooted from his appearance. This gave him obvious confidence.

"How are you my old nemesis? I must say it has been awhile. I think the last time we met face to face was during that time warp fiasco, and I do apologize for that."

"Why should you apologize mate? From what I remember it was you who went spiraling into another dimension, not me." Crash's voice was dangerously comical, and Coco felt a twinge of uncertainty at his confident manner.

Cortex gritted his teeth, but kept his apparent anger at bay. "You know precisely what I mean Bandicoot, and I assure you that although you count that mission of yours as a success, it will do little to protect you from what is to come. I think it is only fair to give you a fair warning before I release my most powerful weapon on you. Meet Crunch, my newest creation."

With that final statement, Cortex disappeared, and was replaced by an anthropoid powerhouse. Coco had a bad angle of the screen, so she was unable to see, but she could tell by Crash's slightly fallen jaw that his confidence had faded.

"This is the creature? You can't possibly be serious. This field rat isn't worth my time." The voice was deeply self-assured, and his tone was penetrating. Coco felt a chill just hearing it. This new creation, Crunch, faded away again and Cortex replaced it.

"Nonetheless Crunch, your first mission is to exterminate Crash Bandicoot. I know the task is far too simple for you, but once he is out of our way the world will be mine."

Crash grimaced, looking pretty agitated that he was being ignored. "Hey jerk-face, I'm not dead yet, so how bout a little acknowledgment?"

Cortex had completely bypassed Crash's statement as though he hadn't spoken. "Isn't he magnificent? A true testament of my scientific genius, a real bandicoot warrior, unlike you Crash. Well, I suppose everyone makes mistakes. Stay out of my way if you desire to spend a little longer on this earth Crash Bandicoot."

With that, the image blinked out and the transmission ended. The chamber was silent for a second, until Crash scratched his head in bafflement.

"Weird. I'm three for three, and he still acts as though his ass has never been kicked."

Coco was worried for a moment that her brother may have lost his nerve, but she felt a wave of relief as he flashed her a crooked smile.

"Alright Sis, let's get this show on the road."

"Okay, here goes nothing." Coco tapped the activation, and crossed her fingers as the machine warmed up.

If her invention remained operational and was able to sustain the incredible force of a transportation portal, Coco was pretty confident that it wouldn't break down. After it stabilized, it was only a matter of keeping it active. She supposed that was her job while her brother retrieved the crystals. Soon enough, the holding chamber before them began to churn into a rapid vortex, gathering energy around it and thrumming with sheer power. Coco felt an involuntary shiver rake up her spine, but she shook it off quickly as she began to type again. She needed to make sure that the portal was contained or…well, there'd be trouble. She had just finished working on her concealed laboratory, and she was not prepared to have it torn apart. Finally, the red lights surrounding the erratic portal had blinked into a stabilized green, and Coco took a deep breath.

"Alright. It's ready." She tilted her head toward Aku. "I'm assuming you know where the first destination is."

"The African Jungle. I will be able to guide Crash into the general area of the shard using the portal."

"Hold on." Crash interjected. "How far am I supposed to go looking for this thing? I've been through jungles before, but not without almost sinking to the centre of the earth or getting chased by something."

Coco pondered this for a moment. "From my position here, I may be able to arrange transportation for you Crash. I've got a few odds and ends around here that I'd be able to send though. All I'd need is a signal that can be traced to you."

"And do you have a device that would serve as a signal Coco?" Aku asked eagerly.

"More than that." Coco confirmed, quite proud of herself as she dug through a box of gadgets. When she found what she was looking for, she showed it to Aku and Crash. "This is a thing I whipped up in my spare time, and it's kind of like a walkie-talkie. We can communicate on it, and it is also exclusively connected to my computer. That way none of Cortex's devices will get a trace on it."

"Well, you seemed to have thought of everything Sis, quite conveniently." Crash commented with genuine praise. "So I guess all that's left to be done is to gather up the damn things. Hand that radio over here."

Coco strode toward Crash and held it out. As he took it and clipped it onto his belt, Coco shifted her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Crash turned and gave her a questioning look.

"What?"

Coco bit her bottom lip, and then spoke without looking at him. "Be careful, okay?"

Crash laughed heartily and ruffled her hair. "Hey Coco, we've been through this before. It's me you're talking to."

Coco's gaze was doubtful, but she accepted her brother's rough affection and then scampered back toward the laptop. She needed to make sure nothing went wrong as he descended. Crash stretched and took a mammoth breath before shaking his limbs, reading himself for his next adventure.

"Be careful Crash. That new creation of Cortex looks incredibly strong, and with the use of the Elementals he may even be invincible. Choose caution."

Crash offered a quick salute of understanding, and then took a step towered the whirling vortex. The disturbed air blowing around him caught the tips of his orange fur and flapped his big ears, and he turned toward Coco with a last grin of confidence.

"See yah!"

A moment later, Crash leapt into the portal and disappeared from sight.


	6. Chapter 5: Jungle Rumble

**Chapter Five- Jungle Rumble**

Crash had to admit that this particular teleportation experience was the easiest one yet. Or may be he was just getting used to it. Whatever it was, Coco's lab simply winked out, and was replaced by a humid and rainy jungle. Crash scratched an ear. It didn't look any different than the jungle home he had just left, but he didn't recognize any of the paths so he was pretty sure Coco didn't just transport him somewhere else on the island.

"Crash? Are you alright?" Coco's voice sounded over the radio.

"For appearing in a different place more than thirty thousand miles away in less than a second, I'm spectacular."

"Aku said that the Rock Shard is at the base of a mountain that looks like a hook. Do you see it?"

Crash needed to walk a few steps to get a look above the trees, and he was relieved when he saw it. He estimated it was about a quarter-hour hike to the mountain.

"Way to go Sis, you almost dropped me right on the button."

"Well, good. Now watch out for Cortex. Aku suspects that that new evil villain of his might be there."

"I've been up to my ears in evil villains since I was created. What could be different about this one?"

Crash heard a cackle of feedback on the radio attached to his pants, but he realized a minute later that Coco was just sighing into the mike.

"Just be careful, okay dummy? There might be something else here we're not seeing."

"I'll let you deal with all that stuff Sis, I've got a world to save."

Crash started off at a pleasant pace, admiring all the plants that looked so similar to the ones from home. When Crash looked up through the rays that shone through the high palm trees, he noticed that tiny droplets of rain filled the air, yet none of them seemed to reach him. He scratched his head.

_Well, better then a monsoon I guess._

There were no paths to follow, so Crash decided the simplest way to get to his destination would be to keep trucking in a straight line. He encountered only a few obstacles, like a cliff and wild flowing river but those things were easily passed through. It was when he got out of the trees and started moving through open ground that things got a little sticky. From beneath him, Crash could feel a suction pull at his feet. He yelped and hopped backward, finding stability back in the high grass. The sun had been high in the air an hour ago when he started the excursion, but it had fallen low in the sky now, casting looming shadows over Crash and his intended path. It also made the clawed mountain appear quite ominous. The rain was starting to come down harder, and as Crash's ears dripped with water he wished for the soft fluttery droplets from his first observation. Crash looked down the long muddy trail, and knew he was going to have a very rough time getting through it.

"Coco?" Crash asked, unsure of how her contraption actually worked. If he tried pushing a button he had no doubt he'd probably break the whole thing.

"What's up?" Coco answered.

"Well, I gotta say I'm in a bit of a pickle here. The only way to that weird mountain you mentioned is over this long muddy road, and the rain over here is really picking up. I think that if I start walking this thing I'm going to slide all the way back to where I'm standing now. Got any suggestions?"

There was a moment of silence as Coco thought about his problem. "Oh, well Crash., I don't…wait a minute. Yes! I do know what to do, hang on."

Crash remained standing in his current position, wondering where the heck she thought he'd go. It wasn't as though he could just hang up, well, that he knew of anyway. There were crashing noises heard from the other line, and a few harsh commands Crash guessed was Coco. He couldn't make out any recognizable sounds in the clatter, and he was getting quite impatient. Finally, his sister returned.

"Crash, I've got exactly what you need. Stand beside a tree or something so I don't accidentally drop it on you."

Crash was about to ask what _it_ was, but didn't see any reason to. He followed Coco's advice and pressed himself against the trunk of a tree, waiting for Coco's help to materialize. A moment later, and a vehicle appeared out of the air and landed with a shuddering thud on the muddy road. Crash gaped. It had a box-like frame and giant monster wheels, and as Crash looked at it a little longer he recognized it to be a jeep. A junky jeep, but it was a vehicle just the same. Crash felt extremely excited, and didn't even think to ask Coco where the heck she would have found that thing. He leapt aboard the truck, reveling in its mechanical brilliance.

"Did it come through alright?"

Crash didn't even notice the pestering voice as he admired the truck. He thought about not having to walk the many miles, and how he'd just be able to sit back and enjoy a nice, leisurely drive through the jungle. It usually never ended up that way.

"Crash?"

Crash was jolted out of his trance.

"I have to say Sis that this is a fine piece of junk you sent me. You didn't actually construct this thing did you?"

"Don't be stupid Crash, of course I didn't. I simply rebuilt it for a more practical use is all. Now, careful with the steering, it'll be really hard to turn. Also watch the breaks; they need a little more adjustment so easy on any muddy curves. Other than that…"

"…Have a good drive. Thanks Sis, I will."

Crash stepped on the gas a little too hard, and winced as he felt the wheels spin, throwing clumps of mud in every direction. Crash eased off the pedal and added a quick turn of the steering wheel. The four wheels below him finally found their traction and Crash was whipped forward. When Crash had envisioned a pleasant ride through the trees, the current situation was not the picture he had in mind. The jeep was shuttering so madly that the jungle Crash could see through the windshield was a permanent blur of lateral motion. His butt was vibrating and the rest of his body suffered from the jarring after affects of the bouncing truck. Coco wasn't joking when she said the steering was sticky. Crash had to throw all his weight on the bloody wheel just to turn.

_This is not…what I had in mind… _

Crash continued on the same road, and after a while he started getting used to the jeeps sporadic movements. That, or his bum was too numb to feel anything anymore. He was quite glad that he would make it to his destination without too much trouble. Suddenly, Crash heard multiple cracking sounds coming from behind him. When Crash thought about the noise he instantly saw snapping trees in his mind's eye. He swallowed nervously, and took a look behind him. His green eyes widened. Crashing out of the trees and onto the muddy road, a stampede of rhinos materialized, throwing their sharp horns around to knock any obstacles out of their way. Crash grimaced and stepped hard on the gas.

_It's never easy, I know that. Why do I always get my hopes up? _

The jeep shuttered at the abrupt change of speed, and Crash felt his neck snap back as the vehicle jolted forward. Unfortunately, the junk heap was built more for long, difficult treks and not for speed. It didn't take long for the rhinos to bypass his moderate pace and begin to gain on him. Crash took a quick look over his shoulder and swallowed the feeling of dread that formed in his throat. Over the roaring of the engines, Crash could make out a shrieking sound.

"Crash! What's going on?"

Crash grit his teeth as he pulled the wheel as far left as he could, aiming to escape through a small opening between two cliffs. One or two rhinos may be able to follow him, but he doubted a stampede would break apart just to trample some pour defenseless bandicoot. Crash leaned into the turn, knowing full well that his slight weight wouldn't do a thing to alter the momentum of the jeep, but he pretended it did. He bit his lip hard, and just before he piled into the cliff his wheels shifted, and he zoomed into the narrow passage. He puttered for awhile when he was sure nothing was following him.

"Crash! Are you alright?"

"I almost got pulverized but other than that I'm fantastic."

"You're reaching the base of the mountain. An Elemental may be waiting there for you so be careful."

"Great, that's just what I need."

Crash decided he needed to quit talking and concentrate on his driving, unless he felt particularly compelled to drive into a rocky cliff side. Which he didn't. As Crash puttered through the narrow path, he realized something else that didn't excite him. In his mad effort to break away from the stampede, he had pushed the gas pedal so hard it stuck. Now he was driving at a quick pace through a tight passage, with difficult steering and useless breaks, with no ability to slow down. Crash dropped his shoulders in dejection.

_Perfect._

Soon, he reached the end of the passage, and from what he could see from his angle, he would just be able to pull back onto the muddy road. He leaned against the steering wheel, and nimbly shot out of the concealed shortcut and back on course. At least something was turning out right. Before Crash could pat himself on the back, however, he heard another crashing sound echoing from behind him. He slowly turned around in his seat, and swore when he saw the barreling rhinos shaking the road.

"What the hell? Why don't you jerks give me a break?"

Crash had no control over the acceleration, and could only remain at his current speed. The steering was not loose enough for him to maneuver, so he kept his eyes open for an escape ahead of him. As he descended over a small hill in the road, he saw his salvation. An old, dead tree had fallen on the approaching stretch of road. If he could get over that massive log, it was unlikely that his clueless pursuers would follow him. Unfortunately, that meant putting a cruel end to Coco's jeep. Yet Crash decided it was a sacrifice he would be willing to make, since the facing his sister's wrath wasn't as disconcerting as getting squashed by a herd of rhinos. Crash raised himself so his soles were pressed into the seat, and kept the jeep on its crash course. At the very last possible second, Crash leapt off the jeep, and felt it crush from beneath him as it collided with the solid obstruction.

Crash sailed through the air, only partially aware that the jeep was gone. Remaining in a dazed airborne confusion, Crash hardly had time to protect his head as he went careening into the thick vegetation. Luckily, the plants beneath him were soft, and he only bounced once before coming to rest a few meters from where his vehicle crashed. He lay there for a moment, moaning, before finally pushing himself to his hands and knees. Crash rubbed a sore lump on his forehead.

_Wow, that was jarring._


	7. Chapter 6: An Inevitable Confrontation

**Chapter Six- An Inevitable Confrontation**

Crash struggled to his feet and started walking, gritting through the immediate head rush that threatened to knock him back down to the ground. He wanted to get out of this jungle as soon as possible, and that meant no lazing about. Crash had been wandering for no more than a few minutes, when he saw a strange shine flickering from the centre of a steep cliff. Crash shaded his eyes with one hand, and whistled.

"Now that's some climb."

"Do you see the shard Crash?" Coco's voice cackled over the radio.

Crash moved toward the cliff, thinking the gleam may grow brighter the closer he got. Yet he realized that the only reason he saw the shine was because of the angle the sun hit it. The shine had disappeared, but that didn't matter. He knew the general area it was hidden in.

"Well, I don't see it per say, but I know where it is. I'll get it no problem."

Crash stood directly below the cliff, took a deep breath and flexed his fingers. It'd be a difficult climb, but Crash wasn't worried that he couldn't make it. What he should have been worried about were other interfering factors that would turn his predicament into a problem.

"Hey grass rat!"

Crash turned around slowly, and raised one eyebrow at mountain of a figure standing behind him.

"You talking to me?"

A tall anthropoid bandicoot strode forward with an evil smirk demonizing his strong features. As Crash noted his broad shoulders and impossibly large muscles, he figured that this must be Cortex's latest experiment he had seen a while ago. The bandicoot narrowed his dark green eyes in Crash's direction, and blatantly ignored Crash's previous question.

"You remember me?"

Crash pretended to ponder that. "If I remember correctly, you had quite an unfortunate name. Cortex seems to still be in a rut for any good ones. Crunch…was it?" Crash smiled. "I'm Crash, a pleasure to meet you."

Unlike the other enemies Crash had faced, this one didn't offer any evidence of anger at Crash's jeers. The cold grin remained on his face as he took a step closer. Crash felt a twinge of nervousness dance up his spine.

"I had hoped that I'd be able to tear you to pieces myself, unfortunately, Dr. Cortex seems to be very keen on using these elemental masks to get rid of you. So," Crunch dropped his shoulders and clenched his fists, in the next half a second his entire body became completely encrusted in rock. "I'll settle with simply pulverizing you."

Crash offered a hesitant smile. As if the brute wasn't strong enough _without_ the rock amour. Crash stepped back until his shoulder blades were pressing into the rock wall behind him. Crunch didn't move an inch, but focused on him with eyes now devoid of any emotion. Crash swallowed back his anxiety, and remembered what he had to do.

"I don't suppose it would be too much to ask if you'd just wait here till I get back." Crash asked with a crooked grin.

Before Crunch could even determine what he was talking about, Crash had leapt onto the side of the cliff and began to climb madly. At first, no attack came, and Crash was wondering if his opponent was actually going to wait for him to get the shard. That would be right chivalrous of him. Unfortunately, Crash should have known better.

"You moron." Crunch called up from below. "How do you figure you'd escape a commander of ground and rock by climbing up a cliff?"

Crash stopped for a moment. Crap, he was right. Crash was half-way to his destination already, and now he realized why Crunch had waited so long to attack. Crash could hear a loudening rumble, and soon enough he felt the cliff shake beneath his fingers. When he looked up, he dropped his jaw. At the very top of the cliff, an avalanche of crumbling rock began to rain down on him. With a small squeak of alarm, Crash leapt off the cliff just as the first wave of rocks crashed down. More than forty-five feet from the ground, Crash twirled in the air for a while before he slowed down his momentum enough to land softly to the ground. Well, maybe not so softly. Just as his feet touched the ground he felt a hard substance strike him hard behind one knee. He fell flat on his back, and found himself looking at another massive rock falling down upon him. Crash quickly rolled out of its path, and then scrambled back to his feet. It was apparent now that Crunch was the jerk who was throwing those rocks.

Crunch laughed, tossing an unimaginably large rock in the air and catching as though it weighed nothing. "What's the matter, rodent? Not quick enough?"

Crash returned the smile with a hint more acidity. "It'd be a little easier without you hurling rocks at me."

Crunch's laugher had sobered to an amused chuckle. "That's the idea."

Crash didn't have a retort ready, but even if he had he wouldn't have gotten it out in time. Crunch threw the boulder at him, and Crash dove out of the way and ran madly back to the cliff. There would be no way he could match this hulk on the ground, but if he started climbing again he'd probably be in an even worse fix. Crash watched Crunch heave another rock out of the corner of his eye, and decided to choose the more direct route. He started to ascend the cliff again, but this time, he was cautious of what was going on below him, as well as above.

"Not this again. I'd rather destroy you down here so I can have a better view to watch you die."

Crash smiled and yelled back. "Sorry to disappoint you Crunchy-boy."

As Crash continued to climb, he was a little surprised that Crunch did not start another rock slide on him. An explosion sounded just beside his head and he immediately realized why. Crunch was still throwing rocks, but this time he was attempting to pick Crash off like a fly on a wall. Crash groaned, and put more speed into his pace. He had to constantly dodge attacks before they turned him to mush, and doing so were making his fingertips raw and red. Still he kept going, until finally he reached the small opening in the rock.

He peered inside and felt his breath still when he saw it. It was a bright topaz crystal, resting peacefully in a sculpted cradle of stone. Yet Crash didn't really have the time to admire it. He reached into the hole and wrapped his hands around the crystal, feeling an incredible power shoot up his arm as he did so. This left him momentarily stunned, and apparently that was all the time Crunch needed to wallop him. Crash felt a bone crunching impact on his left arm, and hissed in pain as his entire arm, from fingers to shoulder, lost feeling. Unable to hang onto the wall anymore, Crash started falling though the air, plummeting quickly back to the ground. He twisted in midair so he was able to get a better view of the ground rushing up to meet him. Crunch looked quite pleased from below.

"Bull's eye."

Crash felt a wicked smile twist his features. Crunch obviously expected Crash to twirl out of the way. To get clear from the rocky monstrosity so he could regroup. However, Crash was not in the mood to be so discrete. Before Crunch even had the time to react, Crash whirled through the air and used his gravitational momentum to plunge the shard into Crunch's chest. At first, Crash was afraid that it would shatter, but it slid through the rock as though it wasn't even there. Crunch's eyes widened not in pain, but in bewilderment. Crash remained pressed to Crunch, face to face. Then Crash grinned pleasantly.

"Likewise."

Crash leapt off Crunch and flipped through the air to land in a standing position, left arm cradled against his chest. Crunch collapsed, and the impact of his rock body hitting the ground was almost the strength of a small earthquake. Crash staggered, but regained his footing before he too fell to the ground.

The rocks on Crunch's body faded away, and those rocks whirled into a spinning vortex of slate and stone. Hovering over Crunch's unconscious form, a weird looking face materialized. It had frighteningly jagged teeth and what looked like two shafts of wood coming up like antlers on the sides of its head. It took another moment for him to realize that this thing was some version of mask, kind of like Aku Aku. This mask looked none too pleased.

"You macho idiot! You'll pay for this!"

The mask's angry words faded away, and soon enough both the freaky mask and Crunch, still unconscious, disappeared. Crash stood there with a bewildered expression on his face. Suddenly, he heard a noise from his walkie-talkie.

"Crash? Are you okay? What was all that banging?"

Crash was silent a moment, and then shook off his stunned look.

"Well, that banging noise was probably the sound of boulders exploding around me. Or it could have been the sound of your jeep crashing."

"WHAT!"

"Sorry about the jeep, but I was getting chased by-"

"I don't care about the jeep Crash, it was garbage anyway. Who was throwing rocks at you?"

Crash was about to answer, when he remembered the throbbing in his arm. "Like to tell you Coco, but how about we discuss it in person. Can I get a ride?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure."

Crash waited for a moment as the air grew denser around him. Although he had been through a whack of portals, he still felt a little jittery before traveling instantaneously.

"…_cross your fingers…_"

"Coco, who are you talking to?"

"Oh, Crash! I didn't know if you could hear me."

"You couldn't be talking to Aku, he doesn't have any fingers!"

"Don't get ruffled Crash, it's just an expression."

"Why did you say 'cross your fingers'?"

"Don't worry about it Crash."

The light enfolded Crash, and he had no choice but to follow his crazy sister's advice.


	8. Chapter 7: Water Logged

**Chapter Seven- Water Logged**

Crash half expected to reappear in the underground lab with a missing limb. Yet, despite his hesitation on the return journey, all his body parts were accounted for. As Crash shook his head back and forth to clear his muddled mind, he noticed that Coco was standing directly in front of him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Crash held up one hand wearily.

"Yes, I got the shard, and no, I don't have it anymore."

Coco's mouth remained open, but nothing came out. Aku floated up beside her.

"Where is it Crash?"

"I kinda stabbed it into that jerk with the robot arm. Then that rock mask came out of nowhere, yelled at me – which was quite hurtful, I might add – and then disappeared, taking that hulk of a bandicoot impersonator with him." Crash's audience was silent, and Crash started to get a tad uncomfortable. He threw up his functional arm dramatically. "And that's the story."

Finally, Aku broke from the trance.

"I apologize Crash. I cannot believe I hadn't told you; that was unforgivably foolish of me. Thankfully, you did precisely the right thing. To trap the Elemental Spirits in their dormant state, you must thrust the shard of magic inside them. Once inside, the magic engulfs the spirit and transports it back to a state of hibernation."

Crash clicked his tongue. "Oh…sure. That was my plan all along."

Coco nudged him. "Yeah right. You were probably just in a pickle so you used that ancient shard as a weapon, didn't you?"

Crash adopted a hurt expression. "Do you have such little faith in your brother?"

Coco groaned, and before she could make a retort she caught a glimpse of his arm.

"What happened to your arm?"

Crash looked down at his arm as if he had just remembered he acquired that wound. Yet there was no way he could really forget about it. The thing hurt like hell.

"Just a scratch." Crash offered bravely, absently brushing a smear of blood off his orange fur.

Coco was already on the prowl for some first aid supplies, and Crash took a seat on a nearby table knowing full well he wasn't going anywhere until his arm was taken care of. Aku appeared before him, and took a look at the flesh that was just now beginning to bruise.

"How did you acquire this?" Aku asked.

Crash shrugged. "Well, that shard was sitting in the centre of a super high cliff. Unfortunately I ran into some problems when I was up there, and that Crunch fellow clipped me with a rock."

Aku closed his eyes, and Crash felt a warm golden magic gently brush his wound. As though dosed in warm water, the cuts were cleansed, and the bruises were soothed. Although Crash could not see the procedure, he could actually feel the magic lacing around his wrists and up through his veins, removing every last trace of pain. When he was finished, he opened his eyes, and the only hint that a wound had been there were the few remainders of blood. Aku had done this healing thing to Crash once already, when the latter had the crap beat out of him by Uka Uka.

"Forget about those band aids Sis, witch doctor boy's got it covered."

Coco returned without demanding an explanation, which gave Crash the suspicion she'd already heard. Crash flexed his healed arm.

"Alright, where's the party this time?"

"Coco and I were delving into some information while you were away, and we have dug up something quite disturbing."

"It turns out that the water shard was hidden in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, but was discovered some thirty odd years ago." Coco had taken over the conversation, a little antsy about remaining silent. "Some scientists took it for testing purposes, and created an underwater facility. Ultimately, this unstable energy caused a massive power failure and flooded part of the lab. Those who didn't drown outright had no communications and no supplies. From Aku's premonitions and my calculations, we think the shard is still down there in that abandoned compound."

"Abandoned here meaning might still contain loony scientists and most defiantly means will contain rotting corpses. Alright, sign me up."

"It's not a joke Crash. There's not one living thing in that place, they all died out."

"Which still means I'm going to have to rummage through dead people."

"You insensitive bastard."

"Aku, Coco cursed."

"Don't curse Coco."

With a partially restrained shriek of frustration, Coco turned on her heel and marched toward her teleportation device. Inside the deployment chamber was an impressive looking piece of machinery. Crash wandered over with his hands in his pockets.

"Nice. What is it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Coco snarled as she clicked on her laptop.

Crash sighed deeply. "Alright Coco, I was a tad insensitive. I won't joke about that kind of stuff anymore."

Coco nodded her head in acceptance of his apology, and faced the machine in question.

"This is a submarine Crash, cause since you're going to be traveling under the sea. We can't simply place you in the dry section of the station because we can't be sure where it is. It'll be simplest just to pilot this sub until you find the dry area, and then get out and take a look around. Understand that?"

"You lost me after submarine. How am I supposed to use it?"

Coco clenched her fists despite the fact she must have known her brother was teasing her.

"Since I created it with you in mind, I made it as idiot-proof as possible."

"Shot below the belt there mate."

"You've got an acceleration lever, a breaking lever, ascending and descending capabilities and a torpedo launcher. You'll figure it all out when you get down there."

Crash reluctantly climbed into the sub and leaned back in the cushiony seat. It was pretty cozy.

_I could get used to this._

Then Crash saw a bundle of strange clothing and equipment. He leaned out of the sub with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, what's all this stuff?"

"Oh that." Coco wasn't really paying attention, focusing instead on typing in the next coordinates. "Your scuba gear. If you get in trouble down there and need to get out of the sub, you've got to make sure you're wearing it."

"In case I…Wait a second. I don't know anything about scuba diving."

"It's simple Crash. We don't have very much time so close that door."

Crash did as was commanded warily. She wouldn't be able to hear him now, so he spoke into his radio connection.

"I think I'd rather have a practice first."

"No time Crash. You can do it."

Crash was already pretty sure he knew what to do. Yet there was that disturbing chance at the back of his mind…

"Good luck Crash, return safely."

The vortex mumbo jumbo began to swirl again, and Crash offered his sister and friend a self-assured salute before disappearing into the ocean world.

--

Crash didn't actually hear a splash, but when the lights dancing around him stopped whirling and faded away, he was settled within a complete embrace of water. For a few moments, Crash remained motionless, trying to get used to the utter silence that attacked him from every angle. With a tentative inhale, he shook off the spooky feeling.

"Freaky man."

The sound of his voice was loud despite its low volume, but as it cut through the silence Crash felt remarkably better.

"Okay, which one is forward?"

"The button on the right hand lever."

Crash jumped, and remembered the two-way radio attached to his hip.

"Thank you, but I wasn't really asking. I'd figure it out eventually."

"Crash, I don't want this radio frequency to interfere with your submarine controls. We've got to keep the com silent for a bit kay?"

"Sure Sis, whatever."

There was a small clicking noise that told Crash Coco had fulfilled the action, and he let out a long inhale. It would be pretty easy to get lonely down here. Crash took a look out the bubble-like viewport before him, and marveled at the remarkable sights all around him. He was too far away to see any reefs, but he did see hundreds of colourful fish darting about. None of them would come near his giant sub, but Crash was excited to see them nonetheless. Yet the beauty didn't last long. As Crash traveled through the murk, he could see a colossal shadow slowly materialize. The closer he got, the larger and eerier it became. Crash let loose a loud whistle.

"Well, this looks like my stop."

The underwater facility looked pretty beat up to say the least. As Crash left the open water and traveled into the metal graveyard of jagged rusty metal, he felt a sharp shiver dance up his spine. He didn't like this place one bit. He wasn't really in the mood to take his submarine through the dark narrow halls, and focused instead on entering through a gaping hole that ripped a large wall open. Crash leaned forward slightly on the controls, hovering his thumb over the torpedo trigger. He felt like something was not right, excluding the fact that he was entering an unstable chemical spill danger zone. It was something else that tickled his ears.

Crash activated the rearward visual intake, silently hoping he wasn't going to see the sharp jaws of a shark coming after him. To his surprise, nothing was there. Crash shrugged, and focused on driving forward.

"Crash buddy, you seem to be loosing your touch."

Right as the words left his mouth, the camera blinked into blackness, and all the dials on Crash's sub moaned and deactivated. Crash was frozen to the spot. What the…? Suddenly his sub lurched to the side.

"Crikey! What's going on here?"

Crash pulled loose from his safety restrains and leaned against the window. He frowned when he saw the flicker of a pasty green tail. Eels? Crash grasped his weapon lever and attempted to fire, but it was no use. All electricity was offline. At first, Crash was confident he'd be alright in his secure little bubble. After all, the eels couldn't possibly get to him, and he would only need to wait until they were bored with his presence and swam off. Yet, as usual, Crash was not so lucky. A thin squirt of water shot through an unseen hole, and struck the viewport. As Crash watched the water trickle down the glass, he felt very, very nervous.

He tried a moment of hysteric bellowing and fist shaking to try and drive the water snakes off with intimidation. That didn't work, and only succeeded in admitting four more jets of water into the cockpit. Crash muttered a curse as he donned the scuba gear Coco had provided for him. He wasn't really looking forward to wearing it, considering it reminded him quite a bit like the gear he wore in Cortex's space station, and those memories weren't some of Crash's finest. Nevertheless, Crash zipped up the wet suit over his jeans, slipped the oxygen tank around his shoulders and placed the large goggles over his eyes. Since his nose didn't fit into the goggles, he would just have to remember to only breathe through his mouth when he got out there. Lastly, he put on the ridiculous flippers over his feet. When he was all ready to go, he stopped dead with a jolt of panic. His shoes! What would he do with his glorious shoes? He couldn't possibly leave them behind, after all they'd been through together. Crash was on the verge of weeping when he noticed a rucksack tucked under the seat. Crash grinned.

_Good ol' Coco._

The bag was waterproof, so Crash put his shoes and radio into the largest pocket and zipped it up. He tied the drawstring to the straps of the oxygen tank, and decided it was time to abandon sub. Crash located a button that conveniently read EJECT, and so he pushed it. The seat thrust him upward, but in unfortunate continuance of events, the roof didn't open. Crash crashed into the roof, and then landed back on the seat rather stunned.

_That was a rotten trick._

Crash looked up at the roof with a scornful expression.

"What's the deal?"

The roof, of course, didn't answer. So Crash gathered his wits and used the only survival tactic he knew. Break everything in sight. He pried the chair from the ground, and used the busted metal below it to whack at the glass window. It took him exactly twelve tries once he got the hang of it, and on the twelfth throw the glass made a satisfying crack and ocean water plunged into the cockpit. Crash waited for a few bruising moments until the water was finished tossing him around, and then pushed away from the submarine and started kicking madly toward the submerged laboratory that lay before him.


	9. Chapter 8: H2 Oh No

**Chapter Eight- H2 Oh No**

There was something a little disturbing about being deep below the ocean's surface in nothing but a tank and a pair of goggles. Yet Crash didn't really have time to be cautious as he swam into the submerged facility. Not just because of the eels who might have seen him, but because his oxygen might not last as long as his search. He had quite a bit of practice in making sure he had air, but the whole thing was a little disconcerting.

Crash paddled his way through the empty hallways, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead. He didn't want to accidentally stumble into any unwanted skeletal remains; he didn't think he had the stomach for it. The walls on either side of him were rusty and falling apart, and the tough metal that shielded the rooms were bent back like burnt paper. Crash continued on his current course, his speed depending on how quickly he could move his flippers. After a few moments of searching, Crash couldn't get the picture of the oxygen disappearing out of his mind. It seemed that every time he'd do something, the worst thing that could happen would happen. Yet to Crash's surprise, he noticed that there was a thin film of reflective water above him. That wasn't the look of a submerged path. Crash was careful of his elevation, and pushed off the rocks to that none of his equipment would be pressured by the movement. When he got to the top, he broke through the surface of water. He would have hollered a joyous "Yay!", but the oxygen intake was still secured to his mouth.

Quickly, Crash shred all of his equipment, including the wetsuit, and shook the water off his jeans. There were puddles of water all over the place, so Crash didn't think it was safe to reapply his shoes just yet. Walking over the slippery metal with bare feet, Crash took a quick look around. The entire place was in shambles, and no wonder. There were glass windows that still managed to hold back the constant weight of the ocean, and life wires sparked as they dangled dangerously from the roof. Crash felt a tinge nervous. If any of those currents managed to hit the ground, Crash was pretty sure he wouldn't be walking out of here any time soon. Crash shook off the uneasiness and began to search.

"Now, if I was an ancient water shard, where would I be?"

It took him a record ten minutes to figure it out. Although the place was a mess, there was still a containment basin still intact. Crash moseyed on over and took a look into the glass box. Inside, a pretty azure crystal was sitting pleasantly, just waiting to be carried away. Crash reached into the water the shard was submerged in, shivered at the coldness, and wrapped his fingers around it. Yet to Crash's perplexed astonishment, just as the shard met with the air, it transformed into a liquid and dripped between Crash's fingers. Crash could only gape as the shard reconstructed itself after it hit the water. Crash sneered.

"Clever trick. Trying to make my job more difficult are yeh?"

Yet Crash was not deterred so easily. It was simple enough to find an empty testing tube, and swiftly Crash lifted the shard out of the water and let the transformed liquid run into the glass tube. Quite pleased with his resourcefulness, Crash started walking back to where he had left his gear. He stopped suddenly upon hearing a pounding echo. Crash turned, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers when he saw what was happening behind him. The glass, which had held up so well until now, was beginning to vibrate, and cracks were snaking their way through. Crash slowly backed up. Water was cascading through holes in the roof, and the entire place was filling up. Once those windows shattered, Crash would be out of time. Quickly, he replaced his oxygen tank and goggles, fumbling a moment with the mouthpiece before it was finally secured. A resounding cracking like the sound of breaking ice caused Crash's fur to stand on end. He was not in the mood to be thrashed with ocean waves, so just as the glass windows exploded, and a tidal wave rushed inside, Crash dove into the water that had been his entrance. He swam down as far as he could, ignoring the popping in his ears, but the fury of the disturbed water still reached him, and he whirled around for a moment in a flurry of bubbles.

After things settled down Crash gathered his dizzy self and started swimming somewhat clumsily back into the facility. It was completely submerged in water now, but that didn't really affect Crash much. What he wasn't looking forward to was the inevitable confrontation with the source of the chaos. Crunch Bandicoot, as menacing as ever, stood framed in the shattered window. There didn't seem to be any effect on him after Crash ran him through with the rock shard. Of course, he was blue this time around. Crunch's body looked almost completely transparent, but Crash could easily see the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ready to end this, bandicoot?" Crunch's asked darkly.

Crash sighed.

_How do I get myself into these situations?_

Unfortunately, the mouthpiece directly connected to Crash's oxygen supply did not allow him to retort, and that made Crash quite annoyed indeed. Crash held the vial tightly in one hand, not providing the shard just yet. He would need to get close enough to poke the thing into the mask assisting Crunch, and that in itself was not going to be easy.

"Why don't you make it simple and just sit still while I eradicate you." It obviously wasn't a question.

Crash would have had something to say to that, if he could talk. Instead, Crash tapped his head thoughtfully, and then shook his head and mimed blowing Crunch a kiss. The powerful bandicoot was petrified for a moment, and Crash used that hesitation to dart into a concealed shaft. From the way the water swirled and sucked, Crash was pretty sure Crunch had recovered from his shock. Now he would just need to find a way to get to him without being blown out of the water. The tunnel he was swimming through was dark, and Crash was thankful that he wasn't claustrophobic. In some areas he had to wriggle just to squeeze through. Crunch was doing his best to thrash the unstable facility into scrap, letting the implosion take care of Crash for him. Yet, as Cortex probably warned, Crash was not that easy to get rid of.

Crash finally made it out of the tunnel, and used the flaking pieces of metal to keep himself anchored to the structure. Crunch was moving into the lab, obviously thinking Crash had simply found someplace to hide. Crash snuck over the outer walls, slowly kicking so as not to disturb the water too excessively. When he was in range, he uncorked the vial and watched as the shard materialized before him. He grasped it in one hand, and when Crunch's back was turned Crash broke into a frenzy of powerful dolphin kicks. He shot through the water like a torpedo, and prepared to run Crunch through with the shard. Yet to his immediate astonishment, as Crash used his momentum to slam the shard into Crunch's back, he crashed right through him. As Crash splashed through Crunch, he floated there in a perplexed heap, wondering what the hell happened. Crunch was smiling, which was not a good sign.

"I'm made of water, you idiot. You can't just stab me like you could before."

_Now he tells me_. Crash thought as he rubbed his head.

Now that Crash had completely threw out his element of surprise, was now positioned in front of an enemy that could eat him for breakfast, and didn't have the faintest idea how to banish the Elemental inside him, he was pretty much out of ideas. Crunch sent a whirling vortex of pressurized water in Crash's direction, and Crash had no other option but to take the hit. He felt himself slam into lab tables and desks, scattering long forgotten items all around. The far wall stopped him abruptly, and Crash's careful breathing consistency was lost. Crash struggled to get away from the pressure that continued to crush him, but at this point his limbs were useless. He felt as though a giant foot was slowly grinding him to dust, and the constriction of his lungs stole the ability to breathe. Crash felt a little woozy, but before he passed out a new idea came to his head. It seemed preposterous at first, but since he couldn't breathe anyway…

Crash took one last painful gulp of hair before shrugging out of his oxygen tank. He grasped onto the tank tightly, and slammed a gear with his foot. Immediately the tank transformed into a makeshift, underwater jetpack, and Crash cut through the water toward his enemy. At just the right moment, Crash released the oxygen tank and watched it with a heavy heart as his air supply spiraled into the darkness. Now this left Crash in front of a substantially astounded Crunch Bandicoot. Crash felt bad for taking advantage of the big guy's disbelief all the time, but the quicker 'coot got the worm it seemed. Without much time to think, Crash plunged himself directly into Crunch's chest, figuring this was the safest place to be considering the circumstances. To his surprise, someone else was in there too. A peculiar looking mask with a long face and oddly proportioned mouth had an expression of astonishment plastered to his face, and this shocked look mirrored Crash's own.

"Get out of here this instant you maggot!" The mask yelled at him.

Crash bit his lip, and with a regretful face Crash shrugged.

_No can do water-boy. Sorry._

With hesitation Crash plunged the shard into the mask. The mask adopted another look of surprise as blue bolts of an unknown light shot from his forehead. He fixed Crash with one final glare of fury.

"You'll not get away with this Bandicoot, you can count on that."

Crash took that as a very serious warning, saluted the mask and then threw himself out of his watery nemesis's body. Crash swam away as fast as he was able, and turned just in time to see the flickering lights engulf the mask and Crunch, causing them both to disappear from sight.

It was at this moment that Crash realized he was in vital need of oxygen. He took a look upward, and his heart sank. He was more than a mile from the surface at least. Yet to his immediate relief, a few meters away a familiar frenzy of dancing lights appeared. It had to be Coco's portal. Crash quickly darted down to pick up the bag containing his shoes, and then kicked quickly to the light.


	10. Chapter 9: Fahrenheit Frenzy

**Chapter Nine- Fahrenheit Frenzy**

Crash felt the ground rush to meet him far too quickly. He landed on his feet, but lost his balance and tripped to land inelegantly onto his stomach. Gasping for glorious oxygen, Crash felt wetter than he ever wanted to feel again. Rolling over to lay on his back, he stared up into the worried face of Coco standing over him. He groaned.

"I hate water."

Coco breathed out an obvious breath of relief, and fell to her knees beside him. She wrinkled her nose.

"You look awful."

Crash managed a half-hearted smile between desperate inhales. "Gee, thanks Sis."

Coco helped Crash up into a hunched sitting position. Crash grimaced as he squeezed buckets of water out of his hair.

"I'm getting too old for this."

"By human calculations Crash, you're only a few months older than eighteen years." Aku piped up from behind him.

Coco smacked her brother hard on the back with a large grin. "Yeah Bro, you're at the height of your game."

Crash shook off the water still clinging to his fur, and then shakily got to his feet.

"So, can I get a towel or something? Or am I just going to stand here and drip dry?"

"Well, if you get going to your next destination, you'll dry pretty quick I think." Coco said as she wandered to her laptop.

Crash still felt completely sopping. "Yeah?"

"You're after the fire shard next." Coco explained, rummaging through some boxes. "And it's located in the most obvious spot ever. Inside a volcano."

Coco tossed Crash a towel, and the latter thankfully dried off his wet fur.

"Uh huh?"

"According to my research, this volcano had been dormant for quite a while. It only recently became active, directly after the time some secret forces started mining some valuable ore down there."

"That right?" Crash was only half-listening.

"This is the difficult part. It seems that Cortex has interfered in the process, that or he was behind it all along. Anyway, I think he has a hint where the fire shard is, and so there's a good chance they'll be setting a trap."

"Usually works out that way."

Coco clicked the side of the keyboard in contemplation. Crash finished with the towel and had tossed onto a nearby table, and then started off toward the door. Coco whirled around.

"Where are you going?"

"Taking a break."

Just before Crash reached the open door, he felt an iron grip grasp his arm. He rotated around slowly and swallowed in fear. Coco was glowering at him.

"Come on Brother. We're half way done now, you've gotta keep going."

Crash was about to give her a perfectly legitimate reason why he deserved a nap, when Coco dragged him back to the portal.

"You're very strong…" Crash whimpered.

"You have to hurry Crash. Cortex may find that shard at any moment, and then Uka will probably destroy it."

"That's correct." Aku agreed. "If Uka Uka finds any of those Elemental shards he will be quick to dispose of them as quickly as possible. If he does, there is no way to imprison the spirit."

"I'd say that two Elementals on the planet are not as bad as four."

"True, but these remaining two are Py-ro and Lo-lo. They are the most powerful Elementals of all."

There was a moment of silence, and then Crash dropped his chin in complete and utter dejection.

"I…just got rid of the weaker ones…did I?"

"Don't feel bad Crash. You're doing your best." Coco offered in a sugary tone that made Crash cringe.

Crash stood there under a black thunder cloud a moment more, and then finally straightened up.

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road shall we?" He turned to Coco. "What's the plan?"

"First," Coco said with a slight smile. "Maybe you should take those goggles off."

Crash flipped the massive things off his head in a rapid second.

"Now what?"

Coco was trying her darndest not to smile, pressing her lips together in stubbornness. "Okay, well, since you'll be cruising through the belly of a volcano, I made you a suit to withstand steaming hot temperatures. I mapped out the volcano and the only place that isn't guarded or under surveillance is a tunnel that goes right over a canal of lava. They obviously assume no one will ever get in that way."

"Which is understandable, all things considered."

"Aha!" Coco exclaimed as Crash jumped. "But they don't have what we have."

"And what do we have?"

Coco revealed what looked to be a jumble of sticks thrashed together and a less-than impressive power pack. Coco held it before her with stars in her eyes. Crash shrugged.

"Still waiting…"

"It's a copter-pack meathead." Coco snarled. "It'll allow you to hover over the steaming waves of lava and into the factory without being noticed. And I'll want a little recognition; this is the coolest thing I've invented yet."

Coco looked so extremely proud of herself that Crash didn't have the heart to make a witty reply. Crash smirked instead.

"Alright, how's it work?"

"Turn the handles right to go right, turn the handles left to go left, pull them up to go down, and down to go up. To go forward, you just need to squeeze down the triggers on the bars. Got it?"

Crash stored this information away for later, which was a smarter way of saying he already forgot. He clapped his hands together.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, put this on."

Crash's jaw dropped when he saw the bright red suit Coco displayed before him. He finally recovered after a speedy lifetime of shock.

"No way."

Coco glared hard at him. "Crash, you're gonna put this on."

"Like hell I will."

After a momentary struggle, Coco was on Crash's back and pressing her brother's face into the floor. Crash, on his stomach with both arms pinned behind him, kicked his feet while wailing, "Uncle! Uncle!"

Aku stepped in with a disapproving look on his face.

"Children, we are wasting valuable time with this. For all we know Cortex could be moments away from uncovering that shard. We must move quickly."

The siblings sobered, and Coco bounced back to her feet.

"Alright Crash, get a move on."

Crash lifted Coco's invention in one arm, and grumbled while he slipped the ugly suit over his pants. The zipper reached all the way up to his chin, and he felt an immediate strangling sensation.

"Okay, I've got the stupid thing on so let's do this."

With a scowl, Crash marched into the platform dragging the copter-pack behind him. As he stood there wearing an irritated frown, he turned toward Aku and Coco.

"You two better not be just sipping tea while I'm off braving the earth's elements."

"We're rooting for you big brother!" Coco said with a beaming smile.

Her enthusiasm forced Crash to smirk reluctantly, and he returned her thumbs-up gesture. Coco activated the device, and the swirling lights appeared once again to whisk Crash away to the farthest corners of the planet.

--

It took Crash a quarter of an hour to find out where the hell he was supposed to go. In that time, he had nearly got himself discovered (it was lucky for him the jerks were incompetent), nearly dropped Coco's invention in a pool of lava, and _nearly_ tripped and almost flew off the side of a cliff. He found the stupid tunnel through, and it looked far more frightening than his mental picture had been. Unwilling to waste anymore time, Crash pulled the strings off Coco's contraption. Almost immediately the pile of junk sprung into a quaint copter. Crash grinned. That sister of his was a keeper, that was for sure.

Crash strapped the belt around his waist to secure the copter, and then took the two levers in his hands. He was not really looking forward to this.

"You better be careful with my baby Crash."

Crash jumped at the sound of Coco's voice. He had forgotten he had also replaced his radio. Gosh darn it. Now he'd be forced to listen to his chatty sister.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it."

Crash stepped toward the tunnel, and took a deep breath as he gathered what nerves he had left.

"Are you in there yet?"

"No. Stop distracting me."

"Are you even in the tunnel?"

"Working on that."

"Crash! What have you been doing?"

Crash grimaced. He wasn't in a mood to detail his rather embarrassing encounters.

"Coco, if you don't put a cork in it you're going to have to pry me out of this tunnel with a spatula."

"Alright, I get it. Sheesh."

Crash took another deep breath after the little interruption. He clicked his tongue as he looked into the path of fire.

_Well, here goes nothing._

Crash clicked a button, and the copter whirred to life. Crash did as instructed, pushing down on the lever to rise up into the air.

"Ayii!" Crash exclaimed as a tickly feeling attacked his nerves.

He leveled himself, and then leaned forward and pressed the handlebars to hover forward. One thing he would say, the suit turned out to be a good idea. Even though his head was exposed, there was some kind of cooling mechanism built into the suit that kept everything cool. Yet the fumes from the lava were doing murder to his eyes. Blinking back tears, Crash subconsciously noticed a pair of tinted goggles handing from the hinge of the handle bar. He scowled, and snatched the goggles to place them over his eyes.

"Thanks for the head's up Coco."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Crash concentrated as well as he could on the task at hand, since it would take all his incredible skill not to bounce off the sides of the rock and into the lava below. He was tempted to ask Coco exactly how much gas was in this thing, but he didn't think he wanted to hear the answer so he refrained. Soon enough he started graduating from plain rock walls to walls with wire metal grates.

_Well, I'm making progress at least._

Crash was hot, tired and impatient. He wasn't sure if he'd been at this for twenty minutes or an hour. He suspected the latter though, and he was absolutely dying of thirst. Yet he continued to hover through the tunnel that seemed to be getting longer and longer. He had been deciding on whether or not to have a chat with Coco, but he decided against that. Just navigating through this narrow took all his concentration. To top it all off, Crash could hear a sharp beeping coming from his power pack. Crash bit his lip and sighed.

_Come on, not now._

Crash squinted to get a look ahead of him, and felt his pulse escalate when he saw that the tunnel was coming to an end. He was almost there! Crash leaned into the forward motion, hell bent on getting to that opening. The power pack continued to wail, but Crash ignored it.

_Keep going sweetheart, you can make it._

Coco's invention began to putter with lack of fuel, but Crash was already just where he wanted to be. Ever so carefully, he eased the controls downward and touched down. Just as he did, he collapsed to his knees, utterly exhausted.

"Ugh, sweat stinks."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you build a bigger fuel tank?"


	11. Chapter 10: Crashes to Ashes

**Chapter Ten- Crashes to Ashes**

Cortex felt his anger boil inside him, threatening to throw his mind into a chaotic frenzy. He couldn't believe that this attempt at destroying Crash Bandicoot hadn't yet succeeded. This plan had been more than an attempt, it was a sure occurrence. It was only a matter of time before that bandicoot was wiped of the face of the planet forever. Or so Cortex had thought. He slammed his fist against the steel table, causing N. Gin to jump.

"Why isn't that bandicoot dead yet?" Cortex snarled, more to himself than his cohort.

N. Gin apparently felt obliged to answer. "Every measure is being made Doctor-"

"Not good enough!" Cortex slid his arm across the table, knocking over various instruments and sending them clattering to the floor.

"You sure get worked up easily over a useless rat."

Cortex turned slowly. Crunch Bandicoot was leaning in the shadows of the lab, his arms crossed in arrogant mild interest. Cortex felt his chest churn with a rising fury. The concoction Cortex has injected into his newest creation had secured his loyalty to him, yet it had unfortunately not made him docile. Crunch was more than just a measure of strength, but a combination of speed, skill and strategy as well. There was no way Crash Bandicoot could stand up against that. So then why wasn't he DEAD?

"If you had done your job, and killed the creature, this discussion could be properly avoided." Cortex spat.

Crunch shrugged. "I already told you. That bandicoot knows how to take out those Elementals. Each fight I go into is like walking in with a bull's eye on my chest. Let me go after him myself."

Cortex jerked away, and clasped his hands behind his back. "The Elementals are the greatest source of your power. We will not relinquish that."

Cortex could feel Crunch studying him with a growing suspicion. Ignoring his minion's newly adopted air of distrust, Cortex sat back down at the table. Crunch was smart, and as such it was only a matter of time for the creature to realize how he was being manipulated. It was the force of the Elemental's powers that kept Crunch under his direct control, and if that power was to be extinguished… Cortex wasn't sure what it would mean. As such, he was not willing to take the chance.

"Once we mark Crash Bandicoot's position in the volcanic factory, I want you to get down there immediately. Finally he is in our territory now, and it is only a matter of time before he shows himself."

"And the shard?" Crunch inquired gutturally. "What is being done to retrieve it? I'm getting pretty tired of that orange rodent stabbing me with those things."

"It will be located, but there is no need to worry about that. If we have not had success in finding it, neither will he."

Crunch's next tone was doubtful. "I don't know. That guy's been pretty damn lucky from what I've seen so far."

"His luck will run out." Cortex snapped angrily. "And when it does, we will be there to make sure he is terminated."

--

Crash had fashioned Coco's copter device into a carrier to sling over his shoulder. He was quite annoyed that Coco didn't think about that when she invented the thing; it would have saved him some time. Crash had his suspicions that in the bowls of a volcano, he might have further use for the copter-pack. After all, he might just have to get out the way he came in, and he wasn't relishing the idea of being forced to swim through liquid fire.

The entire place was like a sauna, hot and humid but mostly _hot_. Crash strode at a leisurely pace, taking comfort that if he wasn't going to make it out of there, at least he was taking his own damn time about it. To his surprise/suspicion/relief, most of the charred metal doors opened automatically, as though they were tripped by a sensor. Despite the fact that Crash had searched for any hidden cameras along the way, he still had the feeling that he was being watched. This didn't really bother him too much, since he was planning on being discovered anyway. There was really no way around it. Yet Crunch and his elemental buds hadn't shown up yet, so Crash took this as a good sign.

The entire place looked like it was on the verge of collapse already, as through it had been constructed in a matter of days. Crash made a mental note to get out of this steaming volcanic death-trap as soon as possible. Since there was no maps with the helpful YOU ARE HERE dot, Crash had to keep taking different hallways in hopes he would find the place he was looking for. To his astonishment, it didn't take long for him to enter a main mining area. Machines were at work, reaching their metal arms through the fiery inferno and lifting dripping molten rocks. It was obvious by the entire layout that they were looking for something, so Crash decided he'd found the right place.

It was odd. Crash had expected that looking all over the rocky fortress for one little Elemental Shard was going to be tough. Yet, although most tasks were usually absurdly difficult, this one came rather easy much to Crash's relief. He had been about to wander over to one of the larger machines to politely ask if they've made any progress, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a glimmer. Glimmers were good. Crash followed the tiny red glow until his toes were on the edge of the protective grated floor. The fumes were causing his goggles to fog, but he could distinctly see what looked like a shining piece of red glass sticking out of the lava. It was wedged into some rock, but nonetheless Crash figured he could reach it if he tried hard enough.

He wasn't about to ask one of the robots so they could take credit for his find, but he would be obliged to use some of the metal junk Cortex had laying around. After some rummaging, he discovered the arm of a robot in a discarded pile. If he moved the right wires, the hand would clutch. That was good enough for Crash. He went back to his prime spot, and with a careful furrow, he reached the hand out. It was freaking heavy, and Crash had to brace the thing on his knees just to lift it. He guided it toward the shard, hoping that once he connected with it that it wouldn't submerge into the lava and never be seen again. The fog on his glasses made him nearly blind now, but he continued to follow the glow. When he was in just the right place, he activated the clutching mechanism. The hand snapped shut far too fast for Crash's fragile nerves, but he was relieved to see that the shard was pinched safely between the metal.

He eased it back, and laid the arm on its side while he attempted to figure out how he was going to unclamp the darn thing. Ironically, it took him longer just to get the stupid thing free from the robotic arm than finding it. Yet he was more than happy that those events had not been reversed. He sure was glad he was wearing gloves, since that shard was flickering with a flaming fire. Crash whistled quietly.

"Now that's what I call hot."

His voice was too quiet for Coco to pick up on, for which Crash was thankful. With her loud voice, his presence would be echoed all over the facility. Not wanting to waste any more time, he slunk away and started off to find the tunnel.


	12. Chapter 11: Crash and Burn

**Chapter Eleven- Crash and Burn**

Well, Crash realized that what time he saved in the swift discovering of the shard was lost while he wandered the corridors, completely lost. He still held the shard carefully in one gloved hand, though he constantly had to switch hands to keep the scalding fire coating the thing from burning him. It was when he turned around the thirty-fourth corner, banged his head against the wall and contemplated leaping off the highest precipice he could find that he remembered his radio. Calming himself, he spoke clearly.

"Coco?"

There was a brief pause.

"I'm here Crash, what's going on?"

"Well, I've got the shard and now I'm in the process of exiting, but this place seems to have been constructed by an architect who must also be a raving lunatic."

"Are you lost Crash?"

"In a matter of speaking."

"Hold on a sec. Let me see if I can get a better view."

Crash didn't think that Coco's "Hold on a sec" warranted his immobility. He decided that he might as well keep walking. He followed the hall, and found that it led into something other than another endless passage. That was promising. Crash eased inside the new chamber, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the area. He didn't have a very good feeling about that room, but when he turned around his jaw dropped. Starting from the beginning of the hall and working its way forward, bright bursts of flames began to blast out of fuses in the walls.

_Alright Crash, you've got a decision to make. Get cooked alive, or take your chances in the freaky room?_

As the flames got closer, Crash thought he might be able to run through the fire with the assistance of his suit. Yet that hope was shattered when two massive iron doors clanked shut, barring off the exit. Crash sighed. With a final lapse of hesitation, Crash leapt through the door just as it started to close. What would have been a casual movement turned into an inelegant display of humiliation as he caught his foot on the closing door and sprawled out of control. Crash landed flat on his face. For a moment he simply lay there, moaning, wallowing in his embarrassment.

"Good tumble imbecile." Came an all too familiar voice.

Crash lifted his head so his chin rested on his hands. "I can usually land those sprawling flips, but what can I say, I'm not perfect."

"Clearly not."

There was a moment of silence that was not yet thick with tension, so Crash used this time to struggle to his feet. He faced Crunch Bandicoot, who was wearing a crooked smirk that suggested he found humor in something.

"Nice suit."

Crash felt as though he'd been slapped, and he lowered his head shallowly with a sour expression. That's right Life, pour on the humiliation.

"Brings out my eyes, don't you think?"

"So I guess your sister still dresses you huh?"

Crash felt a little jolted by the mention of his sister, but he kept it concealed.

He shrugged. "What can you do?"

Crash found this entire conversation to be pretty odd. What was the brute waiting for, an invitation to start thrashing at him? Finally, Crunch got down to business.

"I see you've picked up another shard."

"Good eyes."

"Why don't you hand it over?"

Crash grinned. "Do you still plan on melting me?"

Crunch copied the grin. "Maybe."

"Then I'll have to politely decline."

Crunch shrugged, not looking particularly surprised. "Suit yourself."

Crash felt more than a tad nervous when a flaming red mask appeared to Crunch's left. This one was the freakiest – except for Uka – that Crash had ever seen. It must have been its odd shaped mouth and tons of teeth. He studied Crash for a moment with yellowy-red eyes.

"I've heard you have been causing some trouble for my cohorts my orange friend. I hope you do not take offence to my opinion, but I haven't a clue how they could fail to destroy such a weak looking rodent such as yourself."

Crash coughed. "No offence taken."

"Nonetheless, I'll be sure to correct that mistake."

Crash sighed, and prepared for the inevitable. Crunch appeared slightly exasperated, and blew out a sharp exhale.

"While I do…what exactly?" The tone in Crunch's voice was so sarcastic that Crash almost smirked. Almost.

Crash found it quite difficult to be chums with someone trying to kill him. It just didn't make for a very good time. The flaming mask swirled around Crunch without bothering to answer his question, and Crash watched perturbed but not surprised as flame flickered from Crunch's now frightening yellow and orange fur. Crash felt thoroughly stupid dressed in his bright neon disco suit, but nonetheless he adapted his best fighting stance. Crunch grinned, which was particularly eerie thanks to the flames.

"I hope that suit keeps you cool bandicoot."

Crash opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as he heard a loud rattling noise coming from beneath him. The ground was opening, ever so slowly, revealing the bubbling magma fresh from the volcano's core. This was not good. Crash needed to get this over with quickly, or he was in serious trouble. To Crash's astonishment, Crunch leapt from his position to land in the dead center of the hole of magma. He thundered a laugh. In an instant, Crunch gathered up the flame from below him, and blasted it through his open hands. Crash leapt through the air, narrowly dodging the attack, and slid to a stop. Thankfully, only the middle portion of the chamber had opened. There was still plenty of room for Crash to move, whatever good it would do. Crunch didn't waste any time, and sent another pinwheel of golden flame in Crash's direction. Crash dodged again, but this time he could feel the heat singe one of his ears. Crash gritted his teeth.

_Speed up Crash, or you're toast._

It was impressive how much stamina a guy wielding an incredible power really had. Usually Crash could out last an enemy just on energy alone (which was ironic, since he enjoyed sleeping so much), but this was different. Every time Crash would land, another attack would be heading for him. It had hardly been an hour, and Crash was already so tired his muscles were numb. His heat suit had withstood many of the would-be fatal blows, but from the gaining size of the ash marks, Crash was loosing his momentum.

"You know," Crash panted as he dropped to his stomach, a splash of fiery liquid raining over his lowered body. "We could just agree to disagree. I'm all for sharing the world if you guy's wouldn't, you know, destroy or enslave it."

"That's not a good bet." Crunch unleashed another stream of fire. "Now hold still."

Again and again Crunch enshrouded Crash in flurries of fire, and again and again Crash danced out of harms way. Yet there were only so many placed he could go. Finally, Crunch adopted an expression of frustrated fury. With an angry shout, he pounded the lava below him, and Crash watched, transfixed, as it began to glow. Crash stepped back, clicking his jaw in nervousness.

_Oh, this can't be good._

In the span of a second, a blast of crimson tidal-waved toward Crash. His jaw dropped in bafflement, and he just narrowly escaped being drenched in the melted rock. However, that close scrape didn't leave him unscathed. He felt a horribly scalding splash on his arm, melting right though his protective suit. Crash quickly tore the fabric away, now leaving one arm bare. He struggled to his feet, unable to see a thing save for a thick billow of smoke around him. He wandered through the steam, hoping Crunch hadn't moved.

"Guess who?"

Crash winced in quick surprise at the voice behind him. Whirling, Crash grunted as he felt a rock-hard fist strike him across the face. Falling with the force of the blow, Crash executed a clumsy backward shoulder roll and got back to his feet. His goggles had been knocked off in the attack, and he was feeling tears fill his eyes due to the unbelievable fumes. Crunch lunged, and Crash dipped out of the way. Crunch roared, and came at him again. When Crash dodged this time, he felt his foot slip in between a metal grate. He did not slip far enough for his foot to be burnt by rising heat, but he was now in a very vulnerable, undesirable position. Crunch swung his fist, the metal one this time, and as the hit collided Crash was blinded by a painful shaft of white light. He also had the vague sensation that he was sailing through the air.

That airborne sensation ended abruptly as he struck the far wall with enough force to cause his back teeth to shudder. He slumped to the ground, barely holding onto his waning consciousness. Crunch didn't let up. Crash's eyes widened as another billow of fire reached hungrily toward him. Without the ability to move out of its path, Crash used his own back as a shield, and protected his head and arms from the flames. There was no describing the blistering agony that scraped its way over Crash's skin as the suit burned away. Crash clenched his jaw so tight that a cluster of flickering stars danced across his vision. For a moment, he had completely forgotten where he was. Until the smoke cleared and Crunch was standing over him victoriously.

"Just an unnaturally long streak of luck, that's all."

Crash winced as Crunch locked his mechanical arm around his throat, and slid him up the wall. When one's back was scorched and raw, the last thing that would benefit that kind of wound would be scraping it across a metal wall. Yet Crash kept his agony to himself. As Crunch grinned at him with a substantial amount of wickedness, Crash took a quick look at the ground. Vaguely, while he was being roasted alive he remembered losing the fire shard. Where could it have gone? Though half-closed, swollen eyelids, Crash peered into the fire pit. A shimmering glimmer of ruby caught his eye. Crash could have kicked himself if he wasn't in a horrid amount of pain already. Crash was waiting for the "Any last words, bandicoot?" spiel so he'd have a chance to choreograph his plan. Yet he'd forgotten that Crunch was a different kind of enemy. Crunch offered only the barest hint of a smirk, and began to squeeze the hand around Crash's throat.

"So long Crash."

Crash grimaced as his air supply was cut off abruptly. Subconsciously, he heard a familiar voice.

"Not so fast dirtball."

Crash forced his vision to clear, but all he could make out was a blurry blob that must have been Crunch. A whirring sound added to the commotion of bubbling lava, and a strange scratching sound.

"What the-?"

Crunch's expression ended in a sharp curse as something struck him against the legs. As Crunch's grip slackened, and Crash sagged to the floor, he discovered that it was Coco's copter-pack gone haywire. Crash realized that this diversion was not going to last long, so he needed to take full advantage of it. Scraping up what little strength he could find, Crash scrambled through Crunch's legs and made for the molten pit. A burn in his leg screamed through his nerves, and he tripped forward with a grunt.

"What? Where do you think you're going?"

Crash didn't feel particularly inclined to answer Crunch's question. He peeked over the pit, and groaned. The stupid thing was sitting right on the surface. How was he supposed to get it? Yet with Crunch recovering and heading toward him, Crash didn't have a lot of options. He bit his lip.

_Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT!_

Crash plunged his hand into the molten rock and grasped the shard. He let out a gnarled shout as he spun to his back, and stabbed the shard through Crunch's power source. Crunch let out a bellow of infuriation as the fire receded, averting him back to his normal state. However, this time, he didn't disappear. Although the mask and its firepower were diminished, Crunch remained, eyes deadly. Crash snorted dejectedly.

"Aren't you…supposed to go now?" Crash spoke between wheezes.

Crunch lifted his natural arm, displaying a set of claws Crash hadn't really noticed before. They looked sharp enough to cut Crash in half, which incidentally seemed to be Crunch's plan. Crash lifted his arms in useless protection, shielding his face. Yet, the attack didn't come. Crash opened one eye, and then the other. Finally, he dropped his hands and looked up at Crunch. The latter's gaze was distant, as though he was looking at something very confusing. He blinked, and looked down at Crash with a truly staggering expression. Crunch looked utterly confused. Despite the wounds that were stabbing daggers through Crash's body, his good-natured instinct managed to commandeer his voice.

"Hey, you alright?"

Crunch continued to look at him in perplexity.

"Who…"

Before he could say more, a strange combination of swirling shimmers engulfed Crunch's body, and he disappeared. Now Crash looked confused. What the hell was going on here? He didn't worry about it for long though. Soon enough the pain of his injuries combined with his exhaustion caused him to collapse on to his side in unconsciousness. The last sounds he heard were the faint explosions of the facility beginning to implode.

--

"What's going on!?"

Coco slammed the keys until her fingers ached. She wasn't sure if her distraction worked or not, but by the intense recession of power in the area, she knew that Crunch's power had been disabled. Now, Crash wouldn't answer her calls, and the entire facility was suffering a detonating chain reaction. She whirled on Aku, panic causing her voice to crack.

"What do I do?" Before Aku could even speak, Coco turned back to the screen. "No, I know what to do."

She franticly typed another combination on her laptop while Aku hovered to her shoulder. Her heart was beating so fast she felt that she was going to double over.

"Coco, what are you doing?" Aku asked in gentle urgency.

"Calibrating the coordinates. I'm going to open up a portal right inside the facility."

Aku's voice was filled with anxiety. "You told me yourself that traveling through an enclosed area can be extremely dangerous."

Coco wasn't listening. She continued to type, and than without skipping a beat she activated the portal. It hummed to life, but the lights were not as vibrant as they had been previously. Coco looked directly at Aku.

"The connection is bad, that's why this thing is flickering like that. I need you to press this red button just when it looks like it's about to wink out. That will give it one extra boost, but only one. After that it'll collapse and we'll never get out."

"We?"

Coco started running at full speed, determination sparking in her green eyes. "That's my brother in there."

Coco leapt into the portal, ignoring Aku's frantic calls, and plunged into a dizzying brightness.

--

Crash moaned, fighting his way back to a semi-conscious state. The only thing he could see through his half-open eyes was the orange spurting of simmering lava, and flickering fire. There was no way he could move right now. He couldn't feel any part of his body, let alone get command of them to help him escape. He closed his eyes again, tired from just that simple movement.

_This sucks._

As Crash began to fall back into inevitable unconsciousness, he heard a voice climb over the explosions.

"Oh my god, CRASH!"

He felt someone drop down beside him. He strained to open one eye. Coco's face was wild with worry and tears were falling down her face. Crash instantly felt guilty, then remembered that he was the one who had been set over a slow fire. He tried to say something witty to comfort her, like "Funny seeing you here" Or "What took you so long?", but he couldn't find his voice.

"I'm getting you out of here Crash."

_That would be nice._

Crash winced as Coco grasped him underneath the arms and began to drag him across the floor. Crash squeezed his eyes tight, furiously thinking a string of an identical phrase to cope with the blinding pain.

_Life over limb. Life over limb._

He couldn't really remember much more after that. He felt dizzy and cold at one point, but that could mean anything. He whirled around for a bit, but soon the entire production was too much for him to handle. He heard one more word.

"NOW!"

And then he collapsed, once again, into unconsciousness


	13. Chapter 12: Weathering Heights

**Chapter Twelve- Weathering Heights**

Coco tumbled through the portal, holding onto Crash tightly. The two of them landed hard on the metal floor, and Coco immediately got to her knees despite her screaming headache. She was having trouble catching her breath.

"Aku! Aku!" All she could do was shriek his name like a terrified child.

Aku appeared beside her, entire aura pulsing with somber anxiety. Coco felt her breath still in her throat as she catalogued her brother's injuries. Crash was unconscious, and it was obvious as to why. He was completely covered in reddish burns and raked with dozens of scrapes and scratches. Yet what made Coco's blood run cold was the state of one of his hands. It was severely burned, and virtually fused the fingerless glove he wore against his skin. Coco glared at Aku with a furious look.

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

Aku leaned toward Crash, expression full of nothing but regret. He glanced in her direction.

"Coco…"

"Help him!" She shrieked at him, ignoring the tears that contradicted her outrage.

"These burns are severe…"

"Damn it, don't you think I know that?! Do your voodoo stuff and make him get better."

"Coco!" Aku's harsh tone threw Coco off, and she stared at her old friend blankly. To her astonishment, Aku's face was soft and hadn't a trace of the worry he expressed before. "He's going to be fine. Yet it will take time for the healing process to take effect. Mending bones is far quicker than repairing soiled skin tissue."

Coco felt her pulse rate begin to slow. Thank god, he was going to be okay.

"That doesn't really make sense Aku."

"Perhaps not, but that is the way of it. However I can guarantee that he will be back to normal when the procedure is concluded."

Coco blew out a relieved breath. "Good."

Before Aku continued, he took Crash to a secluded spot in the lab where he could rest. From what Coco could see, it looked as though Aku had placed some sort of incantation over her inert brother. When Aku was finished, he returned.

"However this does pose a problem."

_Obviously_. Yet despite her sarcastic thoughts, Coco let Aku continue.

"We cannot let Cortex regroup and collect the last shard. He will be looking everywhere for it now, knowing that he has only one Elemental left. With Crash unable to scout for it-"

"I'll do it." Coco put as much confidence as she could into her matter-of-fact statement.

Aku actually dropped his jaw at her words. "Coco, it is far-"

Coco was sorry to keep interrupting Aku, but she couldn't help it. "…to dangerous for me to go out there alone but its okay for my inept brother to. Come on Aku. I've been waiting to do something like this for a long time. I've never done this on my own."

"But…the machine."

"It's stabilized enough. I just need someone to hit the activation to bring me back here, and you've already proved you're capable of that."

"Well…"

"Please Aku?"

When nothing else worked, Coco was still at the cute little girl stage where she could pull off the pouty face. Although Aku seemed quite immune to this form of persuasion, he offered a hesitant look. Finally, he relented.

"Your brother will never forgive me."

"I'll be back before he wakes up." Coco leaned over and opened the portal. "Trust me."

With a hearty smile, Coco grabbed a hold of her newly constructed scooter and leapt into the portal. Just before she disappeared, she focused her gaze on Aku.

"Sorry I yelled at you Aku. Take care of Crash."

--

Coco felt a lively wind around her before the portal had fully diminished, and when her vision cleared she felt her heart sour. She had landed in the most beautiful place she had seen since China's exquisite landscape, and a bright smile came to her face as she wiped her gaze across the horizon. The sky above was impossibly blue, with rolling green hills and rocky cliffs and crags stretching as far as the eye could see. Taking a few steps forward, Coco gazed over the cliff she currently stood and gasped at what lay below her. Windmills peppered the grassy floor beneath the cliffs, and trailed across the edge of the horizon. White sails whirled through the air as they caught the constant flurry of gusts.

Coco held her hand to her chest, marveling at the beauty of it all. Soon enough she realized she had a job to do. This was her first mission completely on her own, and she needed to make it a success. It was the only way to receive Crash and Aku's confidence. She knew she had the right abilities, and she had the guts. Now she just needed to put them to the test. So Coco began to trek over the winded hills, searching for the Wind Shard.

--

"It's done?"

Crunch stretched his artificial arm above his head to loosen a knot in his back.

"That's what I told you, didn't I?"

Dr. Cortex looked positively ridiculous with his jaw gaping and eyes widened like saucers. Yet he resolved not to be excited about this, not yet.

"How did it happen?"

"Doc, I already went over it. There's no way that anyone could have survived."

Cortex raised an eyebrow. "That mentality, my friend, was the first mistake I made."

"Out of many, so I'm told."

Cortex whirled on the burly bandicoot, eyes alight with instant rage.

"Do you welcome a repercussion for your insolence?"

Crunch scoffed, unconcerned. "Not particularly."

Cortex could have shot the bandicoot. Although Crunch was indeed proving his worth, he still managed to loose three of the four Elemental spirits. On top of that, as the strength of the spirits wore off, he was becoming more and more resilient to the mind-inducing toxin. Cortex realized he would have to create a back up system to keep his prize minion's loyalties in check. He turned on N. Gin, who was waiting patiently if a little nervously behind them.

"N. Gin, has the bandicoot shown himself again?"

N. Gin franticly gathered the calculations before shaking his head. "No Doctor."

"He hasn't shown himself because he's dead." Crunch insisted, tightening a loose bolt in his robotic appendage.

"Then what is that?" Cortex demanded, stabbing his finger on a mobile dot edging across the screen.

Crunch was at his side in a moment, brow furrowed, glaring at the screen. N. Gin hesitated, as if explaining was going to get him into trouble. Cortex stared daggers at his colleague.

"Out with it!"

"There is someone else after the shard, but it is not Crash." N. Gin clarified.

Crunch looked confused, but the meaning of N. Gin's illumination hit him a moment later.

"It's the girl." He snarled under his breath.

"Huh?" Crunch was still studying the screen, trying to make sense of what Cortex wasn't telling him.

"Crash Bandicoot's sister. She must have taken her brother's place on the search for the remaining shard."

"His sister?" Crunch was baffled. "I didn't see any-"

"Of course not. She's a young girl. They wouldn't allow her to submit herself to such danger."

Cortex distinctly remembered the female bandicoot. Back on his space station, when he had a clear shot of his nemesis, she had attacked him. She had also been the one to knock him into the whirling vortex of time after Uka Uka. She was just as much a nuisance as her brother. Cortex gritted his teeth.

"I want her out of the way." He turned to Crunch. "Use Lo-Lo's full power and destroy her. It should be simple enough for you."

Crunch did not look enthused about the idea.

"Are you telling me to kill a little girl?"

"That is precisely what I demand you to do."

Crunch glowered at him a moment longer, and then with a long, disgusted sigh he turned his back and strode away.

--

The good thing about packing along a scooter was the downhill excursions. Instead of taking a good quarter of an hour to carefully get down a particularly steep hill, Coco would use her motor-less vehicle to get to the bottom in a matter of minutes. It was the hill climbing that really got to her.

"Almost…there." She panted as she trudged, feeling the tightened muscles in her legs protest at every step she took.

She took a look at the compass-sized dial she had developed to lead her to the shard. The dial was drawn to the most ample source of power in a given area, in this case, the Wind Shard. When the indicator told her the shard was located up the impossibly steep hill she was now climbing, she had been less than excited. She had left the grassy land behind and started to enter the crags. Rough rock jetted out of the ground, making almost a half-mountain of this risen area. Coco brushed back the wild stray strands of her hair, and laid her hands on the rock. It turned out that although her trek had turned into somewhat of a mountain climb, the rocks gave her great leverage. Using the jetted rocks to heave herself to the top of the cliff, she felt her breath grow more and more labored. When she finally reached the top, she collapsed onto her back, breathing heavily.

_Oh sure Big Brother, leave me to do all the hard work._

When she finally got a hold of herself, she got to her knees and took a peek over the side. When she saw what lay below her she lurched, and leapt away from the cliff edge. It looked like something had cut through the earth, leaving a deep jagged gash over the land. From Coco's position, about seventy feet away another cliff raised to about the same height. Yet between the two cliffs was a wide open chasm. The rocky floor directly before her stretched across the cliff area until it met with the grass of the rolling hills on either side. When Coco got over her initial fear, she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"It almost looks as though these cliffs were risen here for a reason."

She found that if she spoke her problem aloud, the answer would come easier. The practice only worked about seventy-five percent of the time, but in this case that was good enough. Her eyes sparkled with excitement when she saw her prize. The Wind Shard was floating gently in the air in the very centre of the two cliffs. She leapt to her feet with a bright smile on her face. Yet just as soon as that smile appeared, it inverted. Frowning, Coco blew out a disappointed breath.

"Now how am I…?"

Coco believed it always paid to be prepared. It had taken her a moment to realize it, but it turned out she was far more prepared than she realized. She took a look at the scooter she had dragged all the way up to the peak of this cliff with her. When she designed the scooter in her spare time, she found that just the simple construction was not much of a challenge. She had attempted to turn it into many different things, but hadn't succeeded. It was by Crash's stupid suggestion that she make it into a kite that she decided to convert it into a hang-glider. She had never tested it out before, but she knew that this was her only option. Folding her scooter down, she pulled out a retractable iron rod and snapped it into place. Wound around the rod was a roll of thick tarp. After unrolling and securing the fabric, she made a few other adjustments. When she was finished, she had produced a glider barely a meter and a half in wingspan. If someone like Crash tried it out, he would most likely plummet to the ground without even the tiniest glide. However, Coco was small. She was confident she'd be able to maneuver this thing to get the shard.

By her calculations, the shard was at an angle that would just be reachable if the wind was on her side. There was a chance that she would miss it, and then she'd have to climb all the way back up here to try again. That or she would crash to the ground. Oddly, the former possibility was the one that struck her with a feeling of nausia. She took a deep breath, and fingered the grip of the newly adapted glider in her hands. When she had been training on the mountain of N. Sanity Island, she had learned the technique of calming the mind. She would have to call upon such a talent now. She let the air provided by her inhale to cleanse her body of all negative thoughts and worries. All that mattered was getting that shard.

"Please, offer me your strength." She implored the wind.

As if answering her request, the wind gathered around her in strengthening gusts. Coco took one last breath and dove through the air.

There was no describing how it felt to be in the complete embrace of air. Coco's heart was beating faster then it ever had before, but she couldn't stop smiling. The wind brushed through her tousled blond hair, causing it to dance behind her in waves of golden tresses. Coco leaned to the right and left to aim her gliding body toward the nearly transparent shard before her. When she got closer, it became harder to see. This was strange, but Coco kept her eyes locked onto the spot the shard continued to flicker from. Even if it disappeared, she would be there to pass her hand directly where it had been. This was her goal.

A strong gust almost through her off course, but she leaned into the zephyr and bent back onto her current course. Her green eyes didn't blink as they remained fused on the empty spot. The shard wasn't reappearing! Had Coco misjudged her decent? Where could it have gone? Coco calmed her mind, and soon these unhelpful thoughts faded. She knew where she needed to reach. With a strong confidence, Coco stretched her arm and opened her hand. Heeding her instinct, Coco closed her hand, and felt it wrap around a solid object. Coco's mouth cracked into a lopsided grin.

"Gotcha."

--

Crunch stood just below the twin cliffs. He whistled quietly when the little female bandicoot snatched the shard from the air. That glider came in pretty handy, and Crunch absently wondered if she had carted the thing along with her the whole way. With a groan, he realized he was stalling. Although he was bound to serve Cortex, something about killing this kid didn't seem right, just as it didn't seem right to bump off her brother. It was odd, but somehow although he knew something was insanely wrong with this situation, there was nothing he could do about it.

He exhaled a brutal hiss, and he shook his head. Didn't matter what he thought, he had his orders, and he'd fulfill them.

--

Coco was extremely relieved when her feet touched the ground without incident. She felt the impact shutter up her legs, and she pumped her legs in a hard sprint to slow her momentum. When she was confident she wasn't going to propel head-over-heels she slowed to a stop. She tossed the hang-glider aside and gasped grateful breaths to stabilize her heart rate. Turning the shard around in her fingers, she was amazed at how smooth it felt. It was transparent save for a few veins of light blue swirling inside it.

Coco held the shard to her chest in relief, and continued to calm her racing nerves. She was about to com Aku to send a portal for her, when she heard a frightening rumbling sound coming from behind her. Slowly, she turned and her jaw dropped in a mix of amazement and horror. Materializing out of the blue sky was a massive monster of a figure. As it took form, Coco could only guess by the impressive physique and hard features that this was Crunch Bandicoot. A voice that couldn't be Crunch's rose up above the rushing wind.

"Come out little bandicoot!"

Coco guessed this was the Elemental Mask attempting to draw her out. She scoffed. Like she'd ever walk out there without a defense. Crunch was unnaturally huge and was hovering in the air like a demented cloud. Coco needed to do something before she was blasted where she stood. Dashing behind the cover of the rocks, Coco clicked her radio.

"Coco, are you alright?"

Coco cleared her throat to erase any anxiety. "Fine Aku. Listen, I need you to point the portal direction dial to something and send it to me."

"What do you need?"

"I'm in a bit of a spot, I need my airplane."

"You built an airplane?"

Coco clenched her jaw. "I don't have time Aku."

"Which one do you need?"

Coco shut her eyes in exasperation. She had forgotten she had constructed two. She quickly thought about it.

"The smaller one, I think it's a brownish colour."

She knew that the blue plane had stronger weapons, but she wouldn't need them if her plan worked. What she did need was speed.

"Alright Coco, I'll send it. Do you require anything else?"

"No, thanks Aku." Then a thought flickered over Coco's mind. "How's Crash?"

"He's recovering quickly. He hasn't awoken yet, but he will soon."

Coco took an easy breath.

"Okay Aku, I'll see you in a bit."

"Be care-"

Coco flipped the power off with a thumb. She knew what Aku was going to say, and she couldn't hear it right now. She waited for a moment, and then was momentarily frightened that it wasn't going to work. Yet soon enough the blue portal swirled about and the brown hunk of a plane dropped a few feet from her. She blew out a tense breath and began to ready the contraption before she took to the air.


	14. Chapter 13: Atmospheric Pressure

**Chapter Thirteen- Atmospheric Pressure**

Crunch let himself float above the cliffs for a while, waiting patiently for a glimpse of his quarry. She was here, that much was certain, yet he was not really in a mood to go searching for her. Once she made an attempt to escape, then he would close in. For now, he endured Lo-lo's accusations.

"What are you waiting for?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"You are using my power, Bandicoot, I have the right to know."

Crunch growled in his throat, and ignored the Wind Elemental's statement. Where was that girl? Suddenly, from between the gap of the cliffs, a quaintly ramshackle airplane took to flight and soured toward him. Crunch grinned wickedly. He may have to take this one down with a fight.

--

Coco's gaze flickered across the controls in nervousness. Her systems were a go and every procedure had been met before takeoff. However, she still had a knot in her stomach that convinced her that something was wrong. Then she realized she was just stalling for time. Her enemy was massive, and he wielded a power she couldn't even comprehend. Yet Coco had her weapons too. She disconnected one of her launchers, and rewired it to a separate activation. She had jammed the Wind Shard inside it, and only needed the right moment to release it.

It was going to be a very long shot, but she had no other choice. Coco repositioned her flight goggles, placed her hands on the wheel and headed for the confrontation.

--

Crash moaned, feeling nothing but a headache that was threatening to split his head right down the middle. He tried to get one eye open, but the light surrounding him was too bright. His body was not so numb anymore, although his hand still hurt like hell on a particularly hot day. Yet what was driving him the craziest was the unmerciful light that blinded him even with his eyelids closed. He moaned again and covered his eyes.

"Crash! Thank goodness. How are you feeling?"

Crash teetered from side to side with his hands over his face.

"Too bright!"

"That's the sun Crash."

"Turn it off."

Aku began to scold Crash for being ridiculous, but the latter wearily blocked him out. He realized after speaking that his throat was completely dry. His tongue felt like a stick in his mouth. Finally Crash forced his eyes open.

"Hey, you got a glass of water?"

Aku took off to fulfill the request, and Crash reluctantly used what energy he had to get into a sitting position. He felt as though he'd been run over…a few times. He rubbed his head with his good hand, and then roughly began to massage his eyes. He felt a glass at his elbow, and he reached out for it. It took him only a few seconds to guzzle down the water. After a few more glasses, Crash was feeling a little better. He flipped his legs over the cot he was laying on.

"So, what I miss?" Crash asked in between yawns.

"How are your injuries?" Aku asked.

Crash paused to look down at his previous half-cooked body. There was not a trace of burn excluding his hand, which was still bandaged and suffering minor swelling. Other than that, Crash felt fine.

"Everything's top notch here." Crash took a quick look around. "Where's Coco? I'm missing the awkward affection following her brother waking up from a near death experience."

"Coco?" Aku looked very uncomfortable.

The humor left Crash's face.

"Yeah, Coco. Short little gal, blond hair." He glared at Aku. "Aku?"

Suddenly a wailing sound shrieked from the portal machine. Crash jumped to his feet, and immediately regretted the action. He sunk back to his knees as a white shaft shot across his vision.

"Careful! You still need time to recover."

"Where's Coco Aku?"

Aku Aku hesitated, but ultimately relented. "She set off to gather the last shard."

"WHAT?!" Crash staggered back to his feet and started toward the machine. "And you just let her go? Are you nuts?"

When Crash reached the giant computer, he realized he had no idea how to use the damn thing. Crash dropped against the console, instantly exhausted.

"Crash." Aku spoke in a remarkably even tone under the circumstances. "She wanted to go."

Crash scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure she did. Doesn't mean she should. Not by herself."

"Coco wants to do her part in this too Crash. You must realize that it is far harder to stay behind while someone you love faces danger. She has been bearing it well, but now she wants a chance to prove herself. I could not deny her that."

Crash faced Aku. "She shouldn't have to go out there alone. I'm not for a second saying that she can't handle it. She's the one who saves _me_ for crying out loud."

"Then let her finish her job. Wait for her return."

Crash offered the faintest grin, and shook his head.

"Can't Aku. If our places were reversed, and Coco had a chance to come help me out she'd do it in a heartbeat. It's too hard to wait for her, and you gotta know that I'm always looking for the easy way out."

Crash took a look at the machine.

"Now," He grinned crookedly. "How do I get this bugger to work?"

--

Coco tightened her jaw in annoyance as she pulled hard to the left to avoid getting crashed into by a wind gust. It was hard enough to pilot the thing when the air had increased in velocity, but Crunch's constant attacks didn't allow her a moment to regroup. She bit back a curse as another gust shot toward her. She brought the nose of the plane down, diving to avoid the attack. How was she ever going to line up her sights to release the shard? From the looks of it, it was only a matter of time until she was plummeting to the ground.

Crunch raised his large hand, and suddenly a storm of blue lightning danced through the air directly toward her. Coco yelped as she forced the plane into a roll. She got away just in time to miss the bulk of the attack, but the lightning had struck her wing. It was all she could do just to keep the plane balanced, and now she had lost her speed. Crunch stared at her with the faintest of smiles, and Coco forced the plane into an evasive maneuver. It was useless. The airplane would not react quickly enough. So Coco remained where she was, waiting for the inevitable attack to strike her down. She wasn't particularly afraid to be shot, but she wished she could find a way to take Crunch down with her.

Another attack caused her plane to shudder, and she kept a strong control over the waning steering. Crunch lined her up for the final attack, and Coco glared at him. Although the monster probably couldn't see her, she hoped that he felt her angry fearlessness. The energy began to gather around his outstretched arm, and Coco clenched her jaw.

Suddenly, a stream of shots materialized out of nowhere and shot Crunch's arm, causing the bandicoot to cease his attack. Coco swung her head around, looking for the source of the fire. To her absolute surprise, she saw the cruising form of a blue coloured plane much like her own. With her jaw open in bafflement, she didn't figure out what was going on until a voice crackled over the radio.

"Hey Sis, how many times to I have to save your butt?"

"Crash?!"

"The one and only."

Coco stuttered absurdly for a moment before she found her voice. "But…your injuries…?"

"All healed up. That Aku is a pretty good doctor."

Coco felt her relief wash over her, despite the fact that her brother was intruding on her mission. However, under the circumstances, she didn't really mind.

"Do you have the shard?" Crash asked as he looped around her, covering her flank.

"It's loaded. I just need a clear angle to release it."

"Okey dokey, just hang back until you get a clear shot."

Crash took the lead, firing madly as he shot past her. Coco followed Crash's order, slowing her speed and taking aim. Right now, her turret was pointed right to the tail of Crash's plane. She just needed an opening. She watched the battle grimly, with her finger hovered over the firing button. Although Coco suspected Crash had little to no flying experience, no one would have figured it from the way he moved. She supposed it was just his reckless confidence that made him so adaptable to situations. As Crunch brought one large hand up to blast Crash with tentacles of flickering lightning, Crash dipped out of the way and came up with a new force of attacks. Coco continued to follow, and continued to wait. Finally, Crash came close enough for Crunch to bash him with a physical attack. Coco opened her mouth to warn him, but then she realized what Crash was doing.

Crunch threw a massive punch toward Crash, and Coco gathered speed. Crash dodged at the nick of time, and now Crunch's off-balance position left him vulnerable for attack. Coco looked down the barrel, and saw the small form of a puffy cheeked mask. She aimed and fired. Crunch had seen what she was doing, and although it was too late for him to stop the initial attack, he batted her away with one huge hand. The attack cleanly snapped off one of Coco's wings. She wasn't able to see if her attack struck true or not, since she had all her attention focused on guiding her plane back to the land.

"Coco…?"

Coco ignored her brother's concerned voice, and continued to flip switches and lift drag flaps. Her nose was pointed forty-five to the ground, and if she crashed now she probably wouldn't live through it. Yet since she didn't have a parachute, landing the plane in a survivable way was the only option she had. First she reefed on the yoke, bringing her nose up. Then she leaned hard to the left, and spiraled down to the ground hoping to slow her speed. She heard a noise that sounded like a roar, and she suspected that was Crunch. Past the rushing wind she could also hear someone yelling her name. That must have been Crash. Coco let the dizziness come, and as her mind danced with such delusion that she didn't even feel the ground as it rushed up to meet her.

--

Crash's eyes were wide as he forced the nose of his plane down and took to a vertical dive. He ignored the popping in his ears as he lost altitude, and just as he was close to ten feet from the ground he tilted his nose up and landed. He had seen Coco flutter to the ground like a falling leaf, and for a moment he thought her landing would be alright. Yet as her plane drove into the ground and crumbled at the impact, Crash's fear raked through him.

Crash vaulted out of the pilot's seat and sprinted toward the smoking wreckage that had once been a plane. He threw aside some smoldering metal fragments.

"Coco?"

After a few more tosses, he could see inside the cockpit. Coco's eyes were closed, but she was still moaning and wiggling around in semi-consciousness. Crash breathed a quick sigh of relief before reaching inside. He grasped Coco gently by the shoulders.

"Okay Sis, up and at 'em."

Crash pulled Coco up into his arms, and obediently she wrapped her hands around his neck. Crash leapt off the plane and carried his sister far away to be clear of a possible explosion. He knelt down, checking her over for other injuries. She appeared to be fine, just dirty and shaken. Coco coughed, and her eyelids fluttered open. Crash flashed a crooked smile.

"Coco, you know better then to lay down on the job."

"Can it, Crash." Coco mumbled as she rubbed her forehead. She took a look at the calm sky. "Did I get him?"

"You sure did. That means that those Elementals are locked away again, and we can go home."

Coco opened her mouth to speak, but Crash cut her off as he snatched her radio.

"Aku, wanna send us a portal?"

Aku Aku didn't answer, but not ten seconds later a blue vortex whirled before the bandicoot siblings. Crash got to his feet, still carrying Coco. The latter was wearing a frown, but she didn't seem to mind all that much and being lugged. Then the two of them disappeared into the vortex.


	15. Chapter 14: Suspicions

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**__**Authors note:** Wow, where's my head these days? Pfft. I have no idea how I posted chapter 13 twice, but thanks so much to those of you who took the time to give me the heads up. I appreciate it. I'll try and remember to double check chapters before I post them. Thanks again, and here is Chapter 14. Enjoy! _

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**Chapter Fourteen- Suspicions**

The air was pulsing with tightly restrained fury. Cortex clasped his hands behind his back to hide their trembling. Uka Uka was fuming with anger, and seemed reluctant to look at Cortex for fear he'd murder him on the spot. Cortex fought the urge to take a step back.

"Do you mind telling me," Uka said after a few moments of silence. "How you managed to lose all four Elementals in the span of twenty hours?"

"We thought he was dead, Great One."

Uka began to rumble, and Cortex winced. Yet soon enough Uka calmed himself enough to continue speaking.

"You mean the bandicoot?"

Cortex didn't dare speak, so answered with a curt nod. Uka took a few calming breaths.

"I want…" Uka's power began to disturb the air, filling it with almost a tangible evil. "…that bandicoot DEAD!"

The last statement was a roar, and Cortex shrunk beneath his fury.

"It's your own faults that he's still alive."

Uka turned slowly in the direction of the speaker, and so did Cortex. Cortex's jaw dropped as Crunch came striding into the room, eyes dark. At least Uka would have another target to channel his rage.

"What do you mean?"

Crunch looked surprisingly calm in the presence of such power. "Like I told you guys before. Those stupid elemental powers were just getting in my way. If you want that pain in the ass dead, you have to let me kill him myself."

Cortex waited for Uka to dismiss this as a ludicrous idea, yet to his astonishment and horror, Uka considered.

"You believe that you have the power to defeat Crash Bandicoot on your own?"

Crunch grinned. "Without a doubt."

Uka was silent in thought. Cortex would have demanded that no such plan would be put into action, but he knew if he voiced his opinions he would be probably be reduced to a pile of ash. Finally Uka nodded.

"When the bandicoot is in our midst once again, you will be charged with destroying him." Then he added dangerously, "But if you fail…"

"Don't even bother suggesting it. If I get my hands on that bandicoot I can guarantee he won't be giving you any more trouble."

Cortex decided he had kept his mouth shut long enough.

"And how do you expect to lure him away from the island?" Two pairs of eyes bore into Cortex, so he continued. "That spirit that defends him will not let you get close."

Crunch smiled again, demonstrating thoroughly sharp and frightening teeth. "Then I'll have to be sneaky about it."

--

After Coco's surprisingly slight wounds were tended to, Crash let them in on something he'd noticed back at the volcanic facility.

"I don't think he's really a bad guy."

Coco furrowed her brow. "Are you crazy? He almost killed you."

Crash had a distant look on his face that suggested he wasn't totally convinced himself.

"Yeah. But this really weird thing happened after he lost his power. He was still strong enough to knock me off my rocker, but he stopped. He looked all confused for a second like he just woke up. Kinda strange."

Coco thought about this. "Do you think Cortex has him under some kind of mind influence?"

Crash frowned. "Seems kind of convenient."

"There are really only two explanations. One, Crunch is just an evolved bandicoot who works for Cortex. Two, he was forced into control."

Crash wrinkled his nose. "Well, I don't think an evolved animal is going to be evil by nature. They have to be made that way. Like that mutant Koala or that powerhouse Tiger that I fought before, they were kind of evil but they were influenced."

"Yes, and there's nothing we can do for those guys. But if Crunch demonstrated some uncertainty, he can probably be saved."

Crash considered all this. When he first thought about Crunch's flicker of indecision, he knew that he was under some kind of deranged mind control. Now that Coco brought up this nonsense about actually _saving_ the guy, Crash had his doubts.

"You know, that hesitation could have just been a glitch or something. That's not gonna stop him from doing me in the next time."

"True." Coco was starting to adopt her excited look. "But we may be able to break the hold over him before he actually kills you."

"What a second. You're not planning anything in that twisted mind of yours?"

Coco grinned in mock innocence, and then jumped up and ran to her computer. Aku choked.

"Coco! You mustn't move so quickly until you recover!"

Yet Coco didn't as much as stumble. She started typing on her laptop, and after a few moments of fast clicking, she turned back to face Crash and Aku.

"I've connected the portal to Cortex's space station. Now all we have to do is get on the ship, distract Cortex and disable Crunch's connection."

Crash stood there with his jaw open. "I was afraid of this. I knew one day you'd finally flip your lid."

Coco glared at him with a heated expression. "Why not?"

Crash sighed. "Isn't it ridiculously obvious? We can't be sure that underneath all that evil is a sweet guy who just happens to also be three hundred pounds of muscle. I'd go up to him, ask if he'd like to be friends, and he'd snap me like a toothpick. I'm no dummy Coco."

"Listen. Suppose we leave Crunch to Cortex. Suppose you think the world's saved and you continue your lifetime of napping. Sooner or later Crunch is going to come after you. You can either try (and probably fail) to kill him, or he'll kill you. This is the only obvious option."

Under this new light, Coco's plan didn't look half bad. Crash clicked his tongue as he thought about it. She was right. Crunch would come after him, if not to uphold his honor just to follow Cortex's orders. Crash decided that if he had to fight the impossibly strong brute again he wanted to name the time and the place. It just sucked that the place was going to be Cortex's space station. Crash hated space stations.

"Okay, I kind of get this plan, but I've got a little question. Can't you just hack your way into Cortex's computer and do what you usually do? Why do I have to go up there?"

Coco grinned fiendishly. "Not _you_ Crash, _we_."

"We?"

"Yeah. First you have to get aboard and announce that you plan to defeat Cortex, and then you and Crunch start to battle. Then I come aboard in secret and sabotage the computer. His computer is single framed now, probably because he had such a hard time with hackers in the past."

Coco couldn't keep the wide grin off her face, and the sight was making Crash sick. Yet he felt sick about another concept as well.

"I'm…the DECOY?" He slapped his hand to his head in bewilderment.

"Take it like a man Crash. This is the only way we can make this work."

Crash took a deep breath and composed himself. This was going to be a definite long shot, but he was going to give it the best he had.

"If the two of you are determined to do this, then I will come along also." Aku's tone was regretful, but not up for discussion.

"Don't we need you to pop up the portal when we're done?" Crash asked.

"Actually, that's the other problem." Coco spoke a tad quietly.

Crash slowly turned and faced his sister with a stony glare. "What other problem?"

"The portal will only last for a moment in the station until the security computers shut off the network. We'll only be allowed to get on, but not off."

Crash threw up his arms. "Then how the hell are we supposed to get off?"

Coco offered quite a disturbing grin, and then slapped her hand on the portal activation.

"We adopt your mission method: fly by the seat of our pants."


	16. Chapter 15: Crunch Time

**Chapter Fifteen- Crunch Time**

Crash took a few careful steps forward, knowing that something was bound to jump out at him at any moment. He was reassured, however, that Aku was floating closely beside him. He glanced around the dim station, unsure if anyone was even home.

"When will Coco arrive?" Aku asked quietly.

"When we start walloping each other." Crash replied. "So I guess we better get the ball rolling."

Crash laid his hand against his mouth and hollered, "Hey Cortex! Come on out!"

Not to his immediate surprise, the lights blinked on and Crash quickly shielded his eyes. At first, he could hear nothing, and then he thought he could make out a low chuckling. Crash focused and felt a tight smile creep to his lips.

"Well there you are. Where have you been?"

Cortex was wearing one of his particularly evil smiles, and inclined his head toward his adversary.

"Do realize what you have sentenced yourself to?"

Crash shrugged. "What can I say; this day's been pretty uneventful. Just got bored I guess."

Either Cortex didn't understand Crash's jokes or he was too used to them to let himself get frustrated. Whichever way it was, Crash was disappointed in the lack of response. Cortex's grin grew colder, if that was possible.

"Now this time I can actually watch you die."

"Instead of sending your goons to do the job? Wow Cortex, that's admirable."

Crash still didn't know where Crunch was, and that was making him very nervous. He hoped that if he kept talking, he'd be able to stall some time. Yet he realized that Coco couldn't get onto the space station until he started fighting. Cortex smiled and remarked to Crash's last statement.

"Oh, I won't be fighting you myself. If you heard correctly you'll notice I said _watch_."

"So you did, my mistake."

Crash didn't really like how this was going, but he kept his hesitation to himself. Suddenly, Crash felt a dark energy claw through him, but he knew in a moment that this wasn't Crunch. Uka Uka appeared above where Cortex stood, glowering down at the two with an evil grin.

"Hello again, brother." Uka uttered maniacally.

"This is not our battle Uka." Aku said in an exasperated tone, moving just in front of Crash protectively. "I will not fight you."

Uka smirked. "You don't have a choice."

Uka blasted a dangerous bolt of golden energy in Crash's direction, and Aku intercepted it. Crash took a few steps back as Uka continued to target him, and Aku continued to deflect the shots. If Crash hadn't been so busy watching the show, he would have noticed a hulking figure emerging out of the darkness behind him. It took a moment for the hair on the back of Crash's neck to rise, and he turned around. Crunch was standing there wearing a very toothy grin.

"Hello again, Bandicoot."

Crash leapt back, feeling Crunch's claws swipe inches from his face. With a somewhat tight grin, Crash asked, "You know, you just blew your chance to get rid of me."

Crunch's grin intensified, and he took a step closer. "Oh, don't worry, there'll be others. What fun would it be if I killed you on the spot?" Crunch's dark green eyes flashed. "I wanna get a fight out of this."

Crash sighed in false enthusiasm. _ That's good, 'cause so do I._

Crash leapt out of the way as Crunch through another iron strength punch. Crash continued to use the limited space he had to keep out of the path of his enemy's whirling fists. Crash grimaced. For being so strong, Crunch was considerably fast as well, which really threw Crash off. He knew he wouldn't be able to land a single attack on this guy, in fact, if Crunch got a hold of him Crash was a little worried about what would happen. With Aku defending himself and Crash against Uka Uka, the good mask wasn't likely to be much help.

_This guy's just intimidating you._

_Of course he is, look at the size of him!_

_Technically you're older than him._

_What kind of difference does that make?_

_That makes you the veteran, so use your skills._

_…You know, if we're calculating age technically I'd be two years old…_

Crash felt like walloping himself over the head. He was having those conversations in his head again. They seemed to arise when he was particularly nervous, and there was nothing more nerve-wracking than a two ton hulk of muscle thrashing at you. Crash decided to take his inner advice and use his talents. To be fast and slippery.

As Crunch leaned forward to strike Crash with a sharp right hook, Crash ducked and slid under his open legs. Now behind him, Crash sprung up and landed atop Crunch's shoulders. Crunch grasped him by the ankle and threw him off his back, and Crash twirled through the air to land on his feet. Crunch smiled sourly.

"What the hell are you planning to do Bandicoot? You can't possibly beat me."

"No." Crash agreed, and from the corner of his eye he saw a flash of blond hair. "But I'm going to try my darndest."

--

Coco snuck through the large, whirring machinery as quickly and silently as possible. Although she didn't have much chance of being heard over the clashing of the close-quarter battle, she still wanted to be sure her presence was not discovered. The whole operation would be blown if anyone saw her. She crept across the cold steel floor, shivering involuntarily at the chills cast through the dimness. She wouldn't be surprised if something jumped out at her, but she was wary of her surroundings nonetheless. She swallowed her nervousness, and forced false confidence into her aura.

"Where are you?" She mouthed the words, not letting a sound pass her lips.

Finally, she spotted what she was looking for. With her laptop under her arm, she found a secluded spot beside the massive computer. She pulled out a retractable wire from the side of her computer, and felt around for an outlet into Cortex's mighty mechanical brain. She plugged in, and quickly typed out a few override sequences. After a couple moments of declinations and redirection Coco huffed quietly in frustration. This was not going to be as easy as she'd hoped. She began typing again, and took her lower lip between her bottom teeth. It would take a while to crack all the barriers Cortex constructed to keep his experiments protected. Coco cringed as she heard a slam erupt from behind her, and by the drawn-out moan she realized her brother's diversion wasn't going well. She realized there was only one thing to do. She snapped her laptop shut and scurried toward the main controls. Keeping to her knees, she activated a monitor and hacked her way into Cortex's main computer. She took a deep breath. The only quick and efficient way she'd be able to disable the hold was by planting a virus in the system. Yet by doing so she ran the risk of not being able to get them off this station. She had been planning on finding a computer link to her portal frequency, but by destroying the mainframe, they'd be stuck without a hope of getting back to earth. A thought ran through Coco's head.

_Actually, there may be another way._

Coco typed out a sequence and activated the virus.

--

Crash groaned as he lay on his back, looking up at the towering figure before him. Crunch still had that grin on his face and it was starting to bum Crash out. As the hulk of a bandicoot approached, Crash spun onto his side and quickly scissor-kicked Crunch's legs out from under him. Crunch hardly lost his balance, but Crash used his slight hesitation to bound out of harm's way. Crunch turned around, continuing to smile with a universal confidence.

"Come on bandicoot, fight." Crunch growled mockingly.

Crash smiled tentatively. "I'm not really in the mood to get beaten to a pulp, thanks."

Crunch started toward him again with deliberate slowness. He flexed his organic arm, stretching his fingers.

"Let's just get this over with."

Not interested in following Crunch's advice at the moment, Crash prepared to take off again. Yet his progress was slowed by a hot glaze on his shoulder. Crash turned with a surprised expression, and his eyes drifted to the smoking pistol in Cortex's hand. Crash recovered from his slight shock quickly enough that he completely eluded the next bolt, springing out of range.

"This is MY kill Cortex!" Crunch barked angrily.

"Your over-confidence will be the end of us. If you are not going to get serious about this situation I'll kill you both." Cortex's voice was ruthless.

Crunch growled, and focused on Crash with a new determination. Yet Crash suspected this determination was sprouted from Crunch's desire to kill Crash as oppose to being killed himself. The muscular bandicoot didn't seem too concerned about Cortex's threats. Yet this posed a problem for Crash.

_You're kidding me! He hasn't even been trying?_

Crash was discouraged by this, but since Coco hadn't yet given him the word to disengage, if Crash took off now he'd be endangering his sister as well. Crash decided that if he was going to lose anyway, he might as well lose with confidence.

"Come on Crunchy-pie, what's taking you so long. Let's do this before I fall asleep."

There was no reckless rage in Crunch's movement as he rushed forward, and Crash was immediately caught off balance by the strength of his advance. Crash ducked four rapid punches, but the last one clipped him in the shoulder and sent him spinning. Crash decided to go with the spin, and used his momentum to whirl himself in a tornado frenzy. He felt his fists and feet strike a blunt figure a couple times, and to his astonishment he realized that Crunch was moving back. Yet Crash's confidence was dashed as he felt a rock hard fist strike him against the head and he flipped out of control. He was able to stay on his feet, still teetering, but wasn't fast enough to stop the next attack.

Crunch lunged forward and swiped his claws. Crash bit back a cry of surprise as the sharp claws raked his chest, piercing skin and drawing blood. Without enough time to react, Crunch delivered a hard punch to Crash's solar plexus sending him sailing through the air. Crash landed hard on his back, and slid across the steel floor to finally bunch up against a metal wall. Stars danced across his vision, and he wasn't sure if he was upside-down or not. The loud echoes of clashing powers rung in his ears, and he just wanted to cover his head and take a well deserved nap When he finally got a hold of where he was, he realized the insight was not going to benefit him very much. Crunch was standing above him, clenching his normal hand in anticipation.

"Hasta la vista kid." Crunch snarled as he raised his claw.

Crash cringed, and prepared for the final strike. Yet, surprisingly and with great relief, the attack didn't come. Crunch still had his arm lifted, but he had completely blanked out. Crash knew that this was the same look Crunch had on his face back in the volcano. Cortex was hysterical.

"What are you waiting for? Finish him!"

"Keep it down over there, will yah?" Crash yelled, nearly smiling as Cortex's face grew red in fury.

Crunch sunk down to his knees, and pressed his natural hand to his forehead.

"…Wha…what's going on?" Crunch glanced around in confusion. "Where am I?"

Crash grunted as he forced himself up into a squat.

"Well, I can tell you, but I think you'd be better off asking him."

Crunch absently followed Crash's pointed finger, until his gaze settled on Cortex, whose red face had paled to a chalky white. Crunch curled his lip in a dangerous snarl.

"You…"

Crunch rose to his feet, slightly off-balance, and started marching toward Cortex at a dangerous rate. Crash wasn't about to stop him, though he did feel plenty sorry for the deranged doctor. As Crunch proceeded with a look to kill, a high pitched siren wailed throughout the chamber. Crash slammed his hands over his ears.

"Why does there always have to be so much noise in these space stations?"

The noise did succeed in stopping Crunch for a moment, forcing him to gaze upward to search for the source of the sound. Cortex, meanwhile, took this opportunity to dash through a metal door and disappear. Crunch whirled, flames of rage dancing in his dark green eyes. Just as he was about to leap after Cortex, Aku Aku blocked his path. Uka Uka was nowhere to be found.

"There's no time to pursue him Crunch. We need to get off this station immediately."

Crash appeared at Crunch's shoulder. "No kidding. They'll be plenty of other chances to bean that guy later. Let's move it."

Crunch still looked quite oblivious at what was going on, but nonetheless he followed Crash and Aku as they retreated into the metal halls of the space station. Crash stopped suddenly in the centre of the hall, and whirled around.

"Wait a second. Where's Coco?"

"Who?" Crunch asked in puzzlement.

Crash ignored Crunch for the time being, knowing that his former enemy would need plenty of answers later on. Right then, in the midst of an explosion, wasn't the time. Aku's expression betrayed his worry.

"I…don't know."

Crash instantly remembered his radio, and quickly pulled it off his pants and spoke directly into the mike.

"Coco?"

There was a brief moment of silence, yet it seemed like an eternity as Crash held his breath.

"What are you waiting for? Keep going, I've got you on a homing beacon."

Crash exhaled a breath of relief, and followed his sister's advice without another word. Aku glided along beside him, and bringing up the rear was Crunch, who seemed to be growing less dazed by the minute. The piercing sirens were starting to blend together into one droning wail, and Crash wasn't sure if he was imagining it or if the alarms were growing louder. Suddenly, he felt his feet lift off the ground. Crash glanced up with wide eyes at Crunch, who had taken the slow transportation problem into his own hands. Literally.

"If we're gonna make it out of here alive, we need to pick up the pace." Crunch said as he pounded the ground with quick strides.

Crash felt quite useless, dangling in Crunch's grasp, but he continued to glance ahead to watch specifically for any sign of his sister. He couldn't see her anywhere, but at least she knew where he was. The remnants of Crunch's disorientation seemed to have worn off by the time they reached the hanger bay. He released Crash, and stared out the viewport into the infinity of space.

"This doesn't look good."

Crash landed on his hands and knees, and remained there in a squat as he surveyed the situation.

"You've got that right."

The echoing crashes of explosions rumbled around the group, and Crash frowned as he felt the metal floor shudder beneath him. He was about to activate his radio again to get an idea where Coco was, when a screeching sound made him slam his hands over his ears instead. From the right, a space craft shot over the ground, the bottom just slightly scraping the floor. It slowed to a stop just before the two bandicoots and Aku Aku. Crash stood up, and narrowed his brow. The ship's hatch opened, and a ramp lowered itself directly before Crash's feet.

"Hey, look's like you guys need a ride." A giddy female voice jeered over the radio.

Crash glanced up and saw Coco sitting in the cockpit. She looked through the window and caught his gaze, giving him a confident thumbs-up. Crash grinned and rushed into the ship.

"Hurry it up, we've gotta get out of here."

Crunch was hot on Crash's heels, and Aku followed in not far behind. The ramp retracted, and the hatch hissed closed. As metal fragments and exploding shrapnel littered the hanger bay, Coco activated the engines until they were thrumming loudly. In a vertical lift-off, Coco hovered for a moment to reverse her direction, and just as a sheet of crimson flame reached toward them she blasted the ship out into open space.

--

The space station crackled with numerous explosions demolishing the internal framework, and dozens of hull breaches were sucking oxygen and expensive materials into the starry realm of space. After a few moments of consistent cracks of wavering suspension and crumbling metal, the commotion began to quiet. The demolished structure was useless now. Out of the smoldering ruin, three small pods suddenly shot from the lower portion of the station, cruising in the direction of earth.


	17. Chapter 16: Crunch's Reconciliation

**Chapter Sixteen- Crunch's Reconciliation **

The room was essentially silent, save for the crackling of the fireplace, and the air was thick with tension. Aku Aku transferred back and forth, desiring to speak but unable to find the words. The ride back to Earth's surface proved to be fairly uneventful, but the simplicity was welcome. After Coco landed she was dizzy with excitement at the prospect of taking the spacecraft apart. Now, the three bandicoots sat in the living room while dusk fell over the island. Crunch's gaze was focused on the floor, and he hadn't said a word since the arrival to earth.

Crash had been tempted to say something to break the silence, but he couldn't really bring himself to. It was as though Crunch was desperately searching for the right words. To make a joke now wouldn't be right.

"Hey," Crunch spoke gruffly, still gazing at the floor. "Uh…thanks for what you guys did back there. I appreciate it."

Coco leaned forward. "You're welcome Crunch. Cortex isn't exactly the most honorable, we were glad to help."

Crunch bristled slightly at the mention of Cortex, but his ripple of anger disappeared instantly. Crash still hadn't said anything. Crunch finally looked up and met the gazes focused on him. He scratched his head uncomfortably.

"I hope you can, you know, forgive me for everything that's happened."

"Of course, it wasn't your fault." Coco assured.

"Now now, let's not be too hasty." Crash interjected, taking a hard look at Crunch. "Sure you had to follow Cortex's orders, but how much of that creep was actually you?"

Crash wasn't really surprised when Crunch slowly grinned, although there was only a partial bit of deliberate mischief.

"About half, maybe."

Crash clicked his tongue. "It may take me a while to accept that apology, considering how mean you were to me. You must understand that I have a very delicate temperament, so I get very upset when my feelings are hurt."

Coco smacked her brother hard on the arm.

"He's joking." She assured their guest.

By the slight smirk on Crunch's face, he had already known. Crunch stretched one strong arm above his head and then rose to his feet.

"Well, I shouldn't impose on you guys any longer. I'll see yah."

Coco got to her feet as well. "Where will you go?"

Crunch shrugged. "I'll find someplace."

As he headed for the door, Coco glared at Crash with such acidity that Crash swallowed nervously. Against his better judgment, he called after Crunch.

"Hey Crunch."

Crunch stopped and turned his head. Crash offered hardly a shrug.

"If you don't have any other set place to live yet, why don't you just hang around here?"

Crunch frowned. "You'd let me to stay with you after all that's happened."

"Ancient history." Crash guaranteed. "Just make yourself at home."

Crunch smiled. It wasn't an evil one, though there were shadows of wickedness within it as though he didn't know how to fully banish the sentiment. Yet it was genuine, and that was good enough for Crash. Trying to ignore Coco's far too excited smile, Crash claimed the round red toy lying on the table beside him. Crash studied it for a moment, and then turned toward Crunch with a cocky expression.

"Hey, ever yo-yoed before?"


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"What makes you think I'd do something like that?"

Crash pressed his back against the trunk of a tree, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Because you owe me, that's why."

Crunch growled as he stood over Crash's inert body, but the latter didn't show any evidence that he was going to move.

"To tell you the truth kid, you saved yourself." Crunch spoke with a hard edge.

Crash propped his hands under his head, eyes still closed. "Pray enlighten me."

"Had I still been with Cortex, I would have hunted you down and crushed you into a pile of dust. Not to say that I won't consider doing it anyway…"

Crash flipped his hand about dismissively. "You're too tightly wound Crunch. You should join me for a wamba fruit." Crash added in a lighter tone, "Once you go get some, that is."

Crunch growled again, and then smiled wickedly as a new idea came to him.

"You want some fruit? Alright then."

Crunch strode up to the tree Crash was laying under, and laid his hands on the trunk. Then he began to shake the trunk unmercifully, causing dozens of wamba fruit to come plummeting down on top of Crash.

"Hey! Hey!" Crash yelled as he shielded his head.

When the last of the wamba fruits fell from the lowest branches, Crunch stepped back and inclined his head with a sneer.

"Bon apatite, you little orange bastard."

Crunch tromped back toward the house. Crash brushed a few wamba fruit out of his way to get more comfortable, and felt a smile tickle his lips.

"Nice guy, but he sure needs some work on his people skills."

In a situation even better than heaven, Crash devoured every last wamba fruit and then collapsed into a well earned sleep.

* * *

**_Author's note:_** Well, well, all finished. I know...finally! Sorry to those who are reading this for taking so long to post. I'm trying to stay on top of it all but...well, you know how it is^^ I hope you liked this story, and thanks so so much to those of you who left such positive reviews. It makes me happy knowing my stories are being enjoyed, so thanks a lot. And now, I only have two more stories to go until this series reaches it's conclusion. Thanks for your support, and I hope I keep you interested enough to stay aboard until the end!


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